Verses 1 - 9: Translation and Commentary The cause of revelation Islamic legal injunctions of 'Lahw wa Lalib'(play and game) and its equipment The reading of shameless fiction or poetry or writings of the propoenents of the false is also not permissible Buying and seling of the equipment used in games Allowed and permissible games Games prohibited explicitly The injunctions of music and musical instruments A warning not to be ignored! Reciting morally beneficial poetry in a good voice without musical instruments is not prohibited Verses 10 - 11 : Translation and Commentary Verses 12 - 19 :Translation and Commentary The identity of LuqmZn What does the 'hikmah' given to LuqmZn actually mean? Gratitude and obedience to parents is obligatory - but obedience to anyone counter to divine command is not permissible Islam's peerless law of justice Special note The second bequest of LuqmZn about articles of belief The third bequest of LuqmZn about the correction of deed The fourth bequest of LuqmZn about the betterment of people The fifth bequest of LuqmZn about social manners Verses 20 - 32 : Translation and Commentary Verses 33 - 34 : Translation and Commentary Special note The issue of the 'Ilm-ul-ghayb (knowledge of the unseen) A doubt and its answer

Subject
The issue of the knowledge of the unssen: An important note Special note concerning the words of the verse

Page
59 60

Verses 1- 3 : Translation and Commentary 65 Verses 4 - 9 : Translation and Commentary 67 The length of the day of QiyZmah 68 Everything is good in this world as is - Evil comes through its wrong use 69 70 Verses 10 - 12: Translation and Commentary Some details about the Exacting of Soul and the angel of death 72 The soul of animals: Does the angel of death exact that too? - 73 Ruling: 74 The ~alTih tahajjud of 74 There are some crimes the punishment of which comes even 76 within the mortal world much before the Hereafter 77 Verses 23 - 23 : Translation and Commentary 78 Two conditions for the leader of any people 79 A wise system of irrigation

SURAH AS-SAJDAH

Verses 1- 3 : Translation and Commentary The background of revelation Explanation of verses Ruling Verses 4 - 5 : Translation and Commentary Ruling Verse 6 :Translation and Commentary Ruling Verses 7 - 8 : Translation and Commentary The Covenant of the Prophets Verses 9 - 27 : Translation and Commentary The event of the battle of al-Ah& A lie is no novelty in the arena of politics! A marvel of the forbearance and magnanimity of Allah Ta'ZlZ! The most lethal attack on Madinah Three ingredients of Muslim war effort The digging of trenches

85 85 87
90 90

93 93 95 96 97 98 103 104 105 105 106 106

S.No

Subject

Page

6.

107 The size of the Islamic 'army' 107 Participant age of maturity was set a t fifteen years Islamic nationality and Islamic unity do not contradict administrative and social division 107 The job of digging the trenches was spread over the whole army 108 The discrimination of local and foreign in functional expertise 108 A great miracle 108 Divine reminders 109 Hypocrites throw taunts a t Muslims for believing in their Prophet's promises 110 Seniors must share every trial with their juniors Great guidance for Muslims 111 The master prescription of achieving success against something 111 hard to accomplish The selfless mutual cooperation of the noble SahEbah 112 Three and a half mile long trench was completed in six days - 112 112 An open miracle in the feast hosted by SayyidnZ J a i r (&) The Jews of the tribe of Bani Quraizah break their pledge and join the confederate aggressors 113 115 A strategic plan of the Holy Prophet (%) The faith, the sense of shame and the granite of a determination 116 shown by a SahEbi of the Rasiil of Allah The wound received by SayyidnZ Sa'd Ibn Mu'Zdh (&) and his prayer 117 The Holy Prophet (g) to miss four SalZhs in this Jihad - 118 had 118 The prayers of the Holy Prophet ($5) 119 The unraveling of the causes of victory The event of SayyidnZ Hudhaifah (A)going into enemy lines and reporting back about conditions prevailing there 121 Good news after the ambition of the disbelievers is shattered - 123 A special note 124 124 The battle of Ban5 Quraizah In the difference of Mujtahids, no side is sinful or blameworthy 124 The Speech of Ka'b, the Chief of BanG Quraizah 125 Return of favour and national pride: Two unique models 127 128 A special note of caution Verses 28 - 34 : Translation and Commentary 130 Special Note 134 Ruling 134

S.No

Subject

Page

7.

8.

9.

The particular position of the blessed wives and the rationale of hard restrictions placed on them 134 Special Note 136 The reward for the good deed of an 'Alim exceeds that of others, and the punishment of his sin too 136 Special Instructions given to the blessed wives 137 Are the blessed wives superior to all women of the world? - 138 The first instruction 139 Ruling 140 The second instruction 140 Occasions of need have been exempted from the obligation of 'staying in homes' 141 The offensive lapses o_f the rawafid about the journey of UmmulMu'minin Sayyidah 'A'ishah to B a ~ r a h the event and of the battle of Jamal 143 The third, fourth and fifth instruction of the Qur'an to the blessed wives 148 These five instructions apply to all Muslims universally 148 What does Ah1 al-Bayt: "People of the House" signify in this verse? 149 Special Note 152 152 The Protection of Qur'Zn and Hadith Verse 35 : Translation and Commentary 153 The Qur'Znic addresses in masculine gender normally include women: The wisdom behind it 153 The injunction of making the dhikr of Allah Abundantly and its wisdom 154 155 Verses 36 - 39 : Translation and Commentary A subtle point 157 A lesson to remember 158 The injunction to consider the principle of (kuf? in marriage - 159 160 The Issue of equality in marriage (Kafa'ah) The second event 161 To protect oneself against taunts thrown by people is praiseworthy unless it affects some objective of the Shari'ah 165 Prefacing a n answer to doubts and objections 167 A wise consideration 167 A doubt and its answer 168 Verse 40 :Translation and Commentary 168 The Issue of termination of prophethood 173 The Holy Prophet's @) being the last Prophet does not negate

S.No

Subject

Page

174 the descent of SayyidnZ 'ISZI) (@ in the last days Distortion of the meaning of prophethood and invention 175 of new kinds of prophethood 10. Verses 41 - 48 : Translation and Commentary 179 183 Special attributes of the Holy Prophet (&) 11. Verse 49 : Translation and Commentary 186 There are three injunctions regarding divorce in this v e r s e 187 Details of Mut'ah to be given a t the time of Divorce 188 Islam's Matchless teaching in discharging social obligations gracefully 188 12. Verses 50 - 52 : Translation and Commentary 189 The first injunction 191 The second injunction 191 The third injunction 192 The fourth injunction 193 The fifth injunction 194 The sixth injunctions 195 196 The wisdom of sixth injunction The pious life of the Holy Prophet (g) the issue and of polygamy 197 Seventh injunction 198 200 13. Verses 53 - 55 : Translation and Commentary The first injunction: Etiquettes for hosts and guests 202 203 The second injunction - HijZb for women 203 The special importance of women's HijZb The background of the revelation of these verses 204 The third injunction 206 Injunctions of HijZb: And the Islamic system for prevention of misdeeds 207 The golden Islamic prhciple of barring the ways and means 209 for prevention of crimes in a moderate manner Important caution 211 212 The advent of HijZb in historical perspective The difference between the injunctions of Satr-ul-'Awrah and 215 veiling of women (HijZb) 216 The second issue - the HijZb of women The degrees of Islamic legal Hijab and the injunctions relating to them 218 The first degree of HijZb from people by virtue of staying home 219

S.No

Subiect

Paae

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

Special note 220 The second degree of HijZb with burqa' 222 The third degree of Islamic legal HijZb about which jurists differ 223 Ruling 227 Verse 56 : Translation and Commentary 227 The meaning of ~aliih (durood) and sallEm 228 The method of salZih and sa2Zm 229 The wisdom behind the aforesaid method of 23 1 salTih and sa2Zm 231 The injunctions of SalZh and salZm 231 Related Rulings 231 Verses 57 - 58 : Translation and Commentary 234 Causing pain to the Holy Prophet (%) in any form or manner 237 is kufr (id~delity) Ruling 237 Hurting or causing pain to any Muslim without a valid 237 Islamic legal justification is forbidden (E;IarZm) Verses 59 - 63 - Translation and Commentary 238 240 A necessary point of clarification A person who turns an apostate (murtadd)after having 241 embraced Islam is killed in punishment Some Rulings 242 Verses 63 - 68 : Translation and Commentary 242 Verses 69 - 71 : Translation and Commentary 243 Customarily, Allah Ta'ElZ keeps prophets free from 246 physical defects causing aversion Correct use of one's power of speech is a n effective source of correcting dl1 deeds issuing forth from 247 other parts of the body 24 7 Injunctions of the Qur5n were made easy to follow Saying what is right leads to doing what is right both here and Hereinafter 248 Verses 72 - 73 : Translation and Commentary 248 What does!'amanahWmean? 249 An investigation into the manner the 'trust' was 'offered' -251 'The acceptance of the offer of the 'trust' was optional, 252 not mandatory During which period of time did this event of the offer of trust take place? 254 For vicegerency on the earth, the ability to bear the 254 responsibilities of the great trust was necessary

S.No

Subject

Page

SURAH SABA'
259 Verses 1- 9 : Translation and Commentary 263 Verses 10 - 14 : Translation and Commentary Special note 266 The merit and grace of inventing, making and producing things 267 267 I t is a sin to take the labourers as low in rank The wisdom of having SayyidnZ DZwEd (3241) trained into 267 the making of coat of mail Ruling 268 Special note 269 271 The matter of the subjugation of Jinns The injunction of having a separate place for making 274 a M*rZb in Masajid Ruling 275 The prohibition of making and using pictures 275 of the living in S h a s a h The prohibition of pictures: A common doubt and its answer - 276 279 A photograph is also a picture 280 The reality of Shukr (gratitude) and its injunctions -( - 281 The strange event of the death of Sayyidnii SulaymZn 1) Special note 285 285 Verses 15 - 19 : Translation and Commentary The people of Saba' and the particular blessings of Allah upon them 285 The 'flood of the dam' (say1al-brim) and the 288 Dam of Ma'arib (the sadd of Ma'arib) Special note 292 297 Verses 20 - 21 : Translation and Commentary 297 Verses 22 - 27 : Translation and Commentary Consideration of the psychology of the addressee in debates and avoidance of any approach that may provoke violant attitude 300 301 Verse 28 :Translation and Commentary 303 Verses 29 - 33 : Translation and Commentary 304 Verses 34 - 38 : Translation and Commentary The age-old satanic illusion of taking worldly riches and honours 304 a s a proof of being loved by Allah 308 Verse 39 : Translation and Commentary There is no promise of a return for spending that is not in

S.No

Subject accordance with the Shari'ah With the decrease in the use of something, its production also decreases Verses 40 - 42 :Translation and Commentary Verses 43 - 50 : Translation and Commentary Call to the disbelievers of Makkah Verses 51 - 54 :Translation and Commentary

Page 310 310 311 312 313 316

Verses 1- 3 : Translation and Commentary Trust in Allah delivers from all hardships Verses 4 - 8 : Translation and Commentary Verses 9 - 14 :Translation and Commentary Verses 15 - 26 :Translation and Commentary Verses 27 - 28 :Translation and Commentary Sequence of the Verses A subtle grammatical point Verses 29 - 37 : Translation and Commentary Good deeds likened with trade A peculiarity of the Muslim Community, and that of its 'Ulama' Three kinds of the Muslim ummah A doubt and its answer The great merit of the 'Ulama' of the Muslim ummah Special note A person who will use utensils of gold and silver and dresses of silk will remain deprived of these in Jannah Verses 38 - 41 : Translation and Commentary Verses 42 - 45 :Translation and Commentary

Verses 1- 12 :Translation and Commentary 363 The merits of Stirah I5 Sin 364 About Giving someone the name: (YZ Sin: written a s E s i n ) - 366 The effects of deeds are also recorded like the deeds themselves 368 Verses 13 - 32 :Translation and Commentary 370 The town in which this event took place 372

S.No

Subject

Page

What does 'messenger' mean? Who were these people? 373 The event relating to the person coming from the farthest part of the city 375 The prophetic method of da'wah (preaching) : Significant guidance for message bearers of Islam 378 381 Verses 33 - 44 : Translation and Commentary 383 Growth of vegetation is not an act of man The particular difference between human and animal food - 384 The prostration of the sun: A look into the phenomenon of the sun performing sajdah (prostration) beneath the 'Arsh 388 Special note 395 396 The stages of the moon No wonder if the Qur5n is alluding to the aeroplane! 397 398 Verses 45 - 47 : Translation and Commentary The wisdom behind some people receiving their sustenance indirectly 399 400 Verses 48 - 68 : Translation and Commentary 408 Verses 69 - 75 : Translation and Commentary Gift of God - not capital or labor - is the real wisdom behind the ownership of things 411 412 Verses 76 - 83 : Translation and Commentary

Verses 1 - 10 : Translation and Commentary Subjects of the siirah Tauhid: The Oneness of Allah is the first subject Discipline is desirable in Islam The importance of making rows come straight and right in salah Why has the statement been sworn by the angels? Injunctions about sworn statement of Allah Ta'ZlZ Three questions and their answers Explanation of verses The Real Objective Verses 11 - 18 : Translation and Commentary The proof of the miracles of the Holy Prophet (g) Verses 19 - 26 : Translation and Commentary Verses 27 - 40 : Translation and Commentary Verses 41 : 61 : Translation and Commentary An inmate of Jannah and his disbelieving acquaintance

419 419 420 42 1 422 423 423 426 429 429 432 433 435 437 44 1

S.No

Subject

Page

An advice to avoid bad company 443 Wondering about not having to die anymore 443 Verses 62 - 74 : Translation and Commentary 444 445 The reality of Zaqqiim Verses 75 - 82 : Translation and Commentary 446 Verses 83 98 : Translation and Commentary 449 The purpose of casting a glance a t the stars 451 Astrology: Its status in Islam 453 How to explain the 'indisposition' of SayyidnZ I b r a i r n (Wl) ? 456 The Islamic legal ruling on (equivocation) 458 Verses 99 - 113 : Translation and Commentary 459 The sacrifice of a son 460 Explanatory notes on the verses 460 The proof of 'revelation not recited' (wahy ghayr maluww) - 463 Which son was to be slaughtered? Was it SayyidnZ IsmZfl (Wl)? Or, was it SayyidnZ IshZq (%!3\)? 466 472 Verses 114 - 122 : Translation and Commentary Verses 123 - 132 : Translation and Commentary 473 Sayyidnii IlyZs (3491) 473 474 When and where did he appear? SayyidnZ IlyZs (MI): struggle with his people The 474 476 Is SayyidnZIlyZs (Wl) alive? Ascribing the attribute of creation to anyone other than Allah is not permissible 479 Verses 133 - 138 : Translation and Commentary 480 480 Verses 139 - 148 : Translation and Commentary The injunction of drawing lots 482 Distress is removed by tasbih (remembrance) and istighfar (repentance) 483 Exposing the fraud of the QZdyZni imposter 485 485 Verses 149 - 166 : Translation and Commentary An ilzami answer (based on adversary's assumption) is more appropriate for the obstinate 488 489 Verses 167 - 179 : Translation and Commentary The sense of 'the victory of the people of Allah' 490 492 Verses 180 - 182 : Translation and Commentary

SURAH SAD

1.

Verses 1 - 16 : Translation and Commentary

497

S.No

Subject

Page

498 The background of the revelation Verses 17 - 20 : Translation and Commentary 501 The galah of ad-Duha 502 504 Verses 21 - 25 : Translation and Commentary Natural fear is not contrary to the station of a prophet or man of Allah 509 Observe patience against contravention of established rules of 510 etiquette until attending circumstances unfold A man of stature should observe patience to the best of his ability over errors made by those in need , 510 Soliciting contribution, or event gift, under pressure of any kind is usurpation 511 Partnership in transactions needs great caution 512 By doing ruku' the sajdah of tilawah (recitation) stands performed 513 513 The sajdah of tilawah (recitation): Some rulings 514 When warn, warn with wisdom! 515 Verses 26 : Translation and Commentary The basic function of a n Islamic state is to establish truth - 516 The relationship of the judiciary and the executive 516 The first thing to watch around offices charged with responsibility is the character of the human being sitting there 517 517 Verses 27 - 29 : Translation and Commentary 518 The delicate order of the verses 519 Verses 30 - 33 : Translation and Commentary 522 The story of the return and resetting of the Sun In the event one neglects the remembrance of Allah, some self-imposed penalty is in order as part of one's remorse 522 The ruler should personally keep watching over the functions of the state 523 At the time of one act of 'ibadah (worship), engaging 524 in another is a n error 524 Verse 34 : Translation and Commentary 527 Verses 35 40 : Translation and Commentary 528 Praying for office and power 529 Verses 41 - 44 : Translation and Commentary 530 The nature of the ailment of SayyidnZ Ayyiib Some issues relating to legal aspects of this event are being identified here 531 532 The Islamic legal status of stratagems 532 Resorting to a n oath to do what is inappropriate

(ml)

S.No

Subject

Page
533 535 535 536 536 538 540

Verses 45 - 64 : Translation and Commentary Concern for ' a h i r a h is a distinct attribute of the noble prophets The Prophet : (al-Yasa': Elisha) ($2231) Consideration of matching age between spouses is better Verses 65 - 88 :Translation and Commentary A gist of the subjects of the siirah The blameworthiness of artificial behavior

SURAH AZ-ZUMAR
Verses 1- 6 : Translation and Commentary 543 Acceptance of deeds with Allah depends on unalloyed measure of sincerity 545 Even the polytheists of that period were better than the disbelievers of today 546 Both the moon and the sun move 547 Verses 7 - 10 : Translation and Commentary 549 Ruling 550 Verses 11- 20 :Translation and Commentary 553 Verses 21 - 23 : Translation and Commentary 556 Verses 24 - 28 : Translation and Commentary 561 Verses 29 - 35 :Translation and Commentary 562 Justice in the court of resurrection: The form in which the right of the oppressed will be retrieved from the oppressor 563 All deeds will be given against oppressions and infringement of rights, but one's ';man (faith) will not be given 565 Verses 36 - 41 : Translation and Commentary 565 A lesson, and a good counsel 567 Verses 42 - 45 : Translation and Commentary 568 The time to sleep and the time to die: How is the soul exacted and what is the difference between the two 568 Verses 46 - 52 :Translation and Commentary 570 A prayer that is answered 571 An important instruction concerning 'mushajarat' (disagreements among SahZbah) 572 Verses 53 - 61 : Translation and Commentary 572 Verses 62 - 67 :Translation and Commentary 576 Verses 68 75 :Translation and Commentary 578

SURAH HAMIM AS-SAJDAH
627 Verses 1- 8 : Translation and Commentary An offer by the infidel's of Makkah to the Holy Prophet (B) - 629 Prophetic reply to the Denial and ridicule of disbelievers 633 Are Non-Muslims required to follow the practical injunctions of Shari'ah? 633 635 Verses 9 - 12 : Translation and Commentary The order of creation of the skies and the earth, and the Days of Creation 636 642 Verses 13 - 25 :Translation and Commentary 647 The evidence of man's limbs and organs after resurrection 647 Verses 26 - 29 : Translation and Commentary It is W j i b (necessary) to listen quietly while Qur'En is being

Verses 1- 9 : Translation and Commentary The merit of the siirah Verses 10 - 16 :Translation and Commentary Verses 17 - 33 : Translation and Commentary Weeping of the sky and the earth Verses 34 - 42 :Translation and Commentary The story of Tubba Verses 43 - 59 :Translation and Commentary Punishment and reward of the Hereafter Punishment of the dwellers of Hell Reward of the inmates of Paradise

Preface
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful By t h e grace of Allah Almighty, t h e s e v e n t h volume of Ma'iiriful-Qur'an is now in t h e hands of t h e readers'. But while presenting it to them, I am unable to suppress my sentiments of sorrow and grief on a shocking event t h a t took place during the process of i t s completion. I t was t h e sad demise of Professor Muhammad Shamim, who h a s been the vital spirit behind this project for about a decade. After completing the translation of the fifth volume, he had resumed his work on this seventh volume, the sixth volume being undertaken by Mr. I s h r a t Husain. He left Pakistan for USA on the request of his sons, so that they might look after his medical treatment. In spite of his deteriorating health during his stay in New York, he spared no effort to accomplish this volume. He worked day and night in his fervent zeal to serve the Holy Qur'iin up to his last breath, often ignoring that he was a heart patient. He s t a r t e d from s u r a h Luqman and concluded SErah Mu'min on 7th March 2002. Immediately after he started Siirah Ha Mim As-Sajdah, he encountered a severe heart attack and, within a couple of days, passed away. InnE ZiZlEhi W E inn; ilEihi rEji5n. During his illness he used to express his desire to accomplish the work he had in hand, but a few days before his demise, he borrowed the words of the author of Ma'iiriful-Qur'Zn and said "I submit to Allah's will, because t h e Holy Qur'an i s not something to be finished, rather one should finish his life in the service of the Holy Qur'Zn". Allah Ta'ZlZ has, perhaps, fulfilled his noble desire, and he consumed his life in carrying on this remarkable service of the Holy Book. This seventh volume is thus appearing a t a time when he is no more with us to see it. May Allah approve his sincere efforts and

Preface

20

bless him with eternal rewards in the Hereafter The translation from Siirah & Mim As-Sajdah was undertaken by my learned friend Mr. Shamshad Siddiqi, except for siirahs Ad-DukhZn and AljZthiyah t.hat are translated by MoulEnZ Ahmad Khalil 'Aziz of South Africa. Another change that took place in the course of preparation of this voiume is that the translation of the text of the Holy Qur'Zn, as mentioned in the beginning of the first volume, was carried out by t h e joint effort of a committee, but when Professor Muhammad Shamim left for USA, the committee decided that the translation of the text of t h e Holy Qur'Zin should be undertaken by me alone. Accordingly, I a m responsible for t h e t r a n s l a t i o n from Stirah Al-AnbiyZ onwards, and I am pleased to say that AlhamdulillZh the task has now been completed to the last Siirah of the Holy Qur'Zn. The t r a n s l a t i o n of t h e e i g h t h volume of t h e c o m m e n t a r y i s undertaken by MoulZniiAhmad Khalll 'Aziz of South Africa and is close to its completion.

I a m extremely thankful to Mrs. Shamim a n d h e r sons Mr.
Shama'il a n d Mr. Sadim whose sincere efforts facilitated t h e preservation of the script of the book and its transmission to us. Acknowledgements a r e also due to Mr, Yousuf Noor, Mr. IshZq Noor, Mr. Yousuf Ghanl, MoulGnG 'Abdullah Memon, Mr. Rafat SaghTr F5rooqui and Mr. Ibrahim NafTs whose valuable assistance made i t possible to present this volume. May Allah approve all these efforts and make it beneficial for the readers.

Alif Lam MTm. [I] These are verses of the Wise Book, [2] a guidance and mercy for those good in deeds [3] who are steadfast in QalZh and who pay ZakZh and do have faith in the Hereafter. [4] It is these who are on guidance given by t h e i r Lord, a n d i t is j u s t t h e s e who a r e successful. [5] And from among the people, there is he who buys the d i s t r a c t i n g amusement of things, so t h a t he, being

Siirah LuqmEn : 31 : 1- 9
devoid of knowledge, may mislead (people) from the Way of Allah and make a mockery of it. Such people are the ones for whom there is a disgraceful punishment. [6] And when Our verses are recited to him, he turns away in arrogance as if he did not hear them, as if there is heaviness in his ears. So give him the 'good' news of a painful punishment. [7] Surely, those who believe and do righteous deeds, for them there are gardens of bliss [8] where they shall live forever an absolute promise of Allah. And He is the Mighty, the Wise. (91

26

-

Commentary The words: ; (pay ZakZh) in Verse 4 carry the injunction of ; 5 ZakZh, although t h e verse is Makki.. This tells u s t h a t t h e original injunction of Zakah had already been revealed before Hijrah, right there i n Makkah al-Mu'aqgamah. As for t h e popular assumption t h a t t h e injunction of ZakZh was enforced in the second year of Hijrah, it refers to t h e arrangement of fixing i t s nisab (threshold), providing details of obligatory amount to be paid, collecting and disbursing it on authorized heads b i t h e IslZmic government. This was done in the second year of Hijrah.
Ibn Kathh while commenting on verse 20 of Siirah Al-Muzzammil: (Establish SalZh and pay ZakEh - 73:20) has arrived a t the same conclusion, because SCrah Al-Muzzammil as one of the Makki Siirahs was revealed during the very initial period of the revelation of the Qur'Zn. This tells us that the way Salah and ZakZh have been described mostly side by side in the verses of the Qur'an, its obligation had also taken effect side by side. Allah knows best.

5g-3\ \y:\, j :

The word: 6 \ 9 1 (ishtirz) in: ++I& j U.bl . 2; (And from among the people who buys the distracting amusement of things - 31:6) literally means 'to buy.' And on occasions, the same word is used in the sense of 1;3\ &-$ (These 29 'doing a n act instead of another' - as in: are the people who have bought error a t the price of guidance - 2:16, 2:175) and in some other verses.
,'*,',
''3

,

The Cause of Revelation This verse was revealed because of a particular event relating to Nadr Ibn HZrith. He was one of the top businessmen from among the Mushriks

+G

,.

& lu\ d!

of Makkah who used to travel to different countries in connection with his business. Once he bought a n d brought back a collection of historical stories featuring Cyrus and other Persian kings from Iran. Thus armed, he said to the Quraish of Makkah: "Muhammad @ tells you the stories of the people of 'Ad and Thamiid and others. I shall tell you better stories, those of Rustam, IsfandyZr a n d other kings of Persia. They s t a r t e d listening to his stories eagerly simply because they contained no lessons to learn a n d no work to do. I t was nothing b u t some delicious stories. Because of these, many Mushriks who had some measure of interest in the Divine Word because of its miraculous nature, rather listened to it stealthily, found a n excuse to draw away from the Qur'an. (3 C3 0x5 j &I &IjA >+dl ,dl j o+ (i j 3Lj Lsl'-l+U Jj$I ; +I+\) And according to a narration of SayyidnE Ibn 'AbbEs & in Ad-Durr al-Manthur, the businessman mentioned above h a d brought in a singing bondwoman he bought in a foreign country. I t was through her that he devised a plan to stop people from listening to the Qur'En. When he found anyone intending to go and listen to the Qu'Zn, he would have him hear his bondwoman sing before him. He used to say: 'Muhammad @ makes you listen to the Qur'iin, then goes on to ask you to pray and fast which make life difficult for you. Come, you listen to this music and enjoy the fun.' The verse of t h e Qur'an being referred to h e r e w a s revealed in relation to this very event. Here, the ishtirEY (buying) of lahw al-hadith (the distracting amusement of things) means either those tales of the Persian kings, or this singing bondwoman. In terms of the event in the background of the revelation, the word: CIS! (ishtirZ') has been used in the real sense for buying. And in terms of the general sense of (lahw al-hadith: the . distracting amusement of things) being enunciated later, the word: (ishtira') is also i n i t s general sense a t this place, t h a t is, to opt for, something instead of something else, This includes the buying of things of 'lahw' (amusement) as well.
J

/As for the word: && (fiadith) in t-l'?;jl$ (lahw al-hadith), it is there in the sense of tales told and things said and done. Then the word 'lahw' itself literally means to become heedless. In other words, things that make

one become negligent of what must be done are also called 'lahw.' Then there are occasions when things that bring no worthwhile benefit, rather serve as pastime or entertainment only, are also referred to as 'lahw. '

4

As regards the meaning and exegetical explanation of the expression: &+dl$ (lahw al-hadith: distracting amusement of things - 4) in t h e cited verse, sayings of commentators differ. In a narration of SayyidnZ Ibn Mastiid, Ibn 'AbbZs and JZbir 1p65 &J, it has been explained a s music, vocal or i n s t r u m e n t a l (reported and verified by al-Hakim, a n d
al-Baihaqi in ash-Shu'ab).

And in the view of the majority of SahZbah, TZbi'h and commentators a t large, t h e expression: &$'la(lahw al-hadith: t h e distracting amusement of things) applies generally to everything which makes one fall into a state of heedlessness as to the remembrance and worship of Allah. Included therein i s music accompanied by i n s t r u m e n t s , a n d obscene or absurd fictional narratives as well. Imam al-BukhZri in his book, al-'Adab al-Mufrad, and al-Baihaqi in his Sunan have both elected to go by this Tafsk. Al-Bukhari has said:

'Lahw al-hadith' means playing music and things similar to it (which make one heedless to the worship of Allah). And it appears i n S u n a n al-Baihaqi t h a t opting for or buying t h e distracting amusement of things (&A\$ : ishtirz' Eahw al-hadith) CIS! m e a n s b u y i n g a b o n d m a n or bondwoman who s i n g s a n d p l a y s instruments, or buying similar other immodest things which make one heedless to the remembrance of Allah. Ibn Jarir has also taken to this general sense. The same generality is proved by a narration of TirmidhT where the ~ oProphet l ~ has been reported to have said, 'Do not buy or sell singing bondwomen,' after which he said, j j LYI OL j i i i i a J;r d k?: (About such things this verse [ i.e. verse 6 which is under discussion] was revealed)

>

Islamic Legal Injunctions of 'Lahw wa'lacib'(play and game) and its Equipment Full details of these injunctions supported by proofs from the Qur'iin a n d S u n n a h have been provided in a treatise contained inalpll f G ~

43 '4

(AhkZm ul-Qur'an) w r i t t e n by t h i s humble writer. I t also carries a n equally detailed discussion on music and musical instruments i n the light of the Qur'Zn and HadTth along with the sayings of Muslim jurists and mystics. This t r e a t i s e i n Arabic* h a s been published i n volume V of &kZm ul-Qur'Zn. Learned readers may consult i t a t their discretion. A gist is being given here for others interested in the subject. First of all, i t should be borne i n mind wherever t h e Qur'Zn h a s mentioned Lahw and La'ib, it is in the context of its disparagement and degradation, t h e lowest degree of which is k a r a h a h (repugnance or reprehensibility) (R$ ul-M'Zni and al-Kashshzf) and the cited verse is open and clear in declaring it a s vice. And in KitZbul-Jihad of al-HZkim's Mustadrak, i t has been reported by Sayyidna AbG Hurairah & that the Holy Prophet @ said:

Every Lahw (play) of the world is false except three things: (1) that you play with your bow and arrow (2) and that you play while training your horse and (3) that you play with your wife because these are among acceptable rights.
(HZkim has said that this Hadith is Sahih on the condition set forth by Muslim. But, adh-Dhahab; and others have not accepted it as mutta~il, an uninterrupted (of chain) Instead, he calls it a mursal (of an interrupted chain). But, in the sight of the majority of Hadith experts, a mursal hadith is also authentic).

In this HadTth, every 'lahw' or play has been declared a s false with the exception of three. These, in reality, are just not included under the definition of 'lahw' because 'lahw' is supposed to be something in which there is no worthwhile religious or worldly benefit. And these three things are worthwhile. Many religious a n d worldly advantages a r e attached with them. As for archery and training of horses, they a r e part of the preparation for J i h a d . T h e n , playfulness with one's wife serves t h e purpose of procreation. That they have been named a s 'lahw' is simply because of outward similarity. I n t e r m s of reality, t h e y a r e just not included under 'lahw. ' Similarly, other than these three, there are many things that yield religious or worldly benefit while, seen outwardly, they a r e s u p p o s e d t o b e 'lahw' o r play. T h e s e too h a v e b e e n r a t e d a s

permissible in other narrations of HadTth; in fact, some of these have been declared to be commendable. Relevant detail will follow. In gist, the doing of things which are 'lahw,' in real terms, that is, in which there is no benefit, neither religious nor worldly, are all necessarily blameworthy and makriih (repugnant, reprehensible) after all. Then, there are details about them. Some reach the extent of kufr (infidelity). Others are explicitly haram (forbidden) the lowest degree of which is their being makriih tanzihi, t h a t is, counter to the preferred choice (khilaf al-awl$. No 'lahw,' which really qualifies as 'lahw,' is exempt from it. As for the plays exempted i n HadTth, they just do not fall u n d e r t h e definition of 'lahw' as it has been already clarified in Hadhh itself. I n Abii DZwGd, Tirmidhi, An-NasE'T and Ibn MZjah, there is a narration from Sayyidna 'Uqbah Ibn '~mir*. It appears in Kitsb ul-Jihad in the words: ,,"*-' &j e-$ '&! L+ Sj '422 $21 -?li A% '4;; "'?,' 2 3 (Three things do not fall under 'lahw:' (1) Man training his horse and (2) playing with his wife and (3) shooting with his bow and arrows (Nasbur-RSyah, p. 273, v. 4). This HadTth has itself made it clear that these three things that have been exempted a r e simply not included in '1ahw.'- a n d t h a t which is really ' l a h w ' i s f a l s e a n d b l a m e w o r t h y . T h e d i f f e r e n t d e g r e e s of i t s blameworthiness follow next:

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1. Playing that becomes a conduit of going astray from one's Religion, or making others turn away from it, is kufr (infidelity) - as stated , ,, in the cited verse: j, 3 Jh 2; - 6. There it has been + declared to be a n act of grave error and infidelity, the punishment of which is painful, a punishment particular to those who have disbelieved (kuffir). The reason is t h a t this verse was revealed following a n event relating to Nadr Ibn Harith in which he had used this 'lahw' to divert people from IslTim. Therefore, this 'lahw' (distracting amusement) did not remain simply haram (forbidden), in fact, it went to the extent of becoming kufr (infidelity).
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2. The second form is that which does not make people go astray from Islamic Beliefs, but does make them get involved with something forbidden and sinful. This, then, would not be kufr a s such. But, patently unlawful and gravely sinful it shall remain - a s do all those games played with bets. In other words, these may be games where the element of gambling (qimar) is present with giving or

taking of money on winning or losing, or recreational activities that impede t h e performance of religious duties such a s prayers a n d fasting etc.

The reading of Shameless Fiction or Poetry or Writings of the Proponents of the False is also Not Permissible.
I n our time, a n alarming number of young people get introduced to shameless fiction, stories and novels based on plots featuring people who fancy a n d f l i r t w i t h crimes, a n d poetry composed of i n d e c e n t a n d shameless couplets. All t h e s e things a r e included u n d e r t h i s kind of distracting amusement which is forbidden 'lahw.' Similarly, t h e study of ideas dished o u t by t h e wayward proponents of t h e false i s also not permissible for common people, because this could become a n active agent in misleading them from the straight path. Should the 'Ulama' who are well grounded in religious knowledge study them for rebuttal, i t does not matter.

3. As for playing g a m e s t h a t h a v e n e i t h e r a n e l e m e n t of kufr (infidelity) nor of open sinfulness, they are makruh (repugnant) in that one would be wasting his energy and time in a n activity that yields no benefit.

Buying and Selling of the Equipment used in Games
From the details given above, we have also come to know the rule operating in the buying and selling of equipment used i n games. The rule is t h a t t h e t r a d i n g , buying a n d selling of equipment u s e d i n games characterized by infidelity, error, unlawfulness and sin is also haram (forbidden). And t h a t which is used in makruh lahw, its trading is also makruh; a n d t h e equipment t h a t is used i n permissible a n d exempted games, its trading is also permissible; and the equipment t h a t is used in permissible and impermissible activities both, its trading is permissible.

Allowed and Permissible Games
As already explained in detail, what is blameworthy and prohibited is t h a t p a r t i c u l a r 'lahw' or a m u s e m e n t or play or game which h a s no religious or worldly benefit i n it. Games played to m a i n t a i n physical health and mobility, or for some other religious or worldly need, or a t the least, are for relief from fatigue without any excessive indulgence to the extent of causing disruption in necessary duties, then, such games are

allowed by the ShaG'ah. And should the participation in them be with the intention of fulfilling a religious need, then, they are thawab-worthy as well. Also mentioned in the Hadith appearing above was the exemption of three game forms from the prohibition: Shooting of arrows, riding horses and playing with 'ahl' (wife). And in a marfi' hadith (attributed to the Holy Prophet from SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas &,it appears: yj.Al+s_l , + J+I iiprjd , - L I (The best game for a believer is swimming and the +, G best game for a woman is the spinning wheel) (al-Jam? as-Saghir, from Ibn

g)

'Adiyy, with weak chain of narrators).

According to a narration, SayyidnE Salamah Ibn Akwa' &, says, "Someone from among the AnsZir of Madinah was a great sprinter. No one could win a race against him. Once he publicly threw a challenge if there was anyone who would run a race against him. I sought the permission of the Holy Prophet if I could compete against him. When he gave me the permission, I was the one who went ahead in the race.' This tells us that it is also permissible to practice foot racing. Once, when a well-known wrestler called RukZnah challenged the Holy Prophet to wrestle against him, he accepted the challenge and won the bout (AbGD'liwTid i n al-marZs2). Some Ethiopian young men used to play with spears a s a rehearsal. The Holy Prophet @ let Sayyidah 'xishah b hi &) see their game of m a r t i a l skill while s h e stood behind h i s back a n d h e s a i d to t h e performers, " 3 ; 1 13)'' wal-'abii: have fun, keep playing) [Reported by 1(ilhu al-Baihaqi in Ash-Shu'ab, a s in al-Kanz, Bab ul-Lahw). In some narrations, the 3 following words also appear along with it: 2 ;ii>1 b J l j 9 (I do not 3 like that people see harshness in your religion).

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Similarly, it has been reported from some SahZbah that they, when tired after their duties relating to the Qur'Zn and Hadith, would once in a while relax with Arab poetry or historical events (from Sayyidnii Ibn 'AbbZs

4 in Kaff ar-Ra'a').
In a Hadith, it was said: "&d &@I i ;" ] (Let your hearts rest ki g; now and then).[Reported by AbGDiiwiid i n his MarZs2 from Ibn ShihZb 'mursalan',
that is, attributed to the Holy Prophet by the studeAt of one of the SahZbah with

the name of t h e narrating S a h a b i not mentioned] T h i s h a d i t h proves t h e

permissibility of recreation meant to relax one's mind and heart and the need to spare some time for it. However, when doing all these things, the aim should be to achieve the correct and sound objective of those games. Playing for the sake of playing should never be the objective. Even that too is restricted to the m e a s u r e of need. Any indulgence t h a t s t r e t c h e s t o u n r e a s o n a b l e proportions or touches the limits of excess would not be in order. Thus, the reason behind the justification of all these games is no other but that they have to be within their limits. If so, they would just not be counted a s 'lahw.'

Games Prohibited Explicitly Along with t h e games mentioned above, there a r e others t h e Holy has prohibited particularly - even though, some benefits may Prophet be seen therein - such as, chess, backgammon and others played with counters and pieces. If accompanied by giving and taking of money on winning a n d losing, t h e n , t h i s is gambling, a n d is absolutely h a r a m (forbidden). And should this not be the case and they may be played just for enjoyment, even then, they have been prohibited in Hadith. According to a narration of SayyidnZ Buraidah in the Sahlh of Muslim, the Holy Prophet & said, "A person who plays backgammon is like the one who $ ! has smeared his hands with the blood of pig." Similar to this, there is another narration where words of curse appear against t h e player of chess. ('Uqaili in ad-Du'afE' from SayyidnZ AbE Hurairah & as in Nasbur-RZyah)
Similarly, the Holy Prophet has declared playing with pigeons a s impermissible. [AbE DZwEd in al-MarasT1 from Shuraih a s in al-Kanz] T h e apparent reason for the prohibition of this type of pastimes is that the player of these games becomes so preoccupied with them t h a t h e would turn heedless towards other things he must do, even to SalZh, and other religious obligations.

The Injunctions of Music and Musical Instruments Some S a h Z b a h h a v e explained t h e expression: &&I$ ( l a h w a l - h a d i t h : t h e distracting amusement of things) i n t h e cited verse a s singing and playing of musical instruments. Then, there a r e others who have explained it in the general sense and consider every such playful

activity t h a t makes one heedless towards Allah to be t h e meaning of: -412 (lahw al-hadith). But, even in their view, singing and playing of instrumental music are included therein. And in another verse of the Qur'an: ;I,L&Y (those who do not witness falsehood - Al-Furqan, 25:72), the word: ... (az-ziir: falsehood, the false) has been explained by Imam Abii Hanifah, MujZhid, Muhammad I b n a l - H a n a f i y y a h a n d o t h e r s a s ' g h i n a (singing a n d playing of instrumental music). And AbE DZiwCd and Ibn MZjah in Sunan and Ibn HibbZn in his Sahih have reported from SayyidnE AbE MElik al-Ash'ari & t h a t the Holy Prophet said:
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Indeed some people from my community will drink wine giving it a name other than the name it already has. Music will be played right on their faces with instruments and singing women in attendance. Allah Ta'ala will make the earth sink with them, while He will make some of them monkeys and pigs. And according to a narration from Sayyidna 'AbdullZh Ibn 'AbbZs &, the Holy Prophet said, "Allah Ta'ZlE has forbidden wine, gambling, drum and sarangi (string instrument like violin) and he said, "Everything that intoxicates is haram (forbidden, unlawful) [Reported by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawiid and Ibn Hibban] I t has been reported from SayyidnZ AbE Hurairah Prophet $ said: $ !

& that the Holy

When spoils are taken as personal property and trust property

a s spoils a n d ZakZh a s penalty, a n d religious l e a r n i n g is acquired for worldly objectives, and when man starts obeying his wife and disobeying his mother, and keeps his friend near and his father far, and when voices rise in mosques and the chief of a tribe becomes its worst sinner and when the chief of a people becomes their lowest of the low and when wicked people are respected out of fear for them, and when singing girls and musical instruments appear all over and when wines of all sorts are consumed and when the later of this Ummah s t a r t cursing the former - then, a t that time, you wait for a red storm, and e a r t h q u a k e , a n d t h e s i n k i n g of t h e e a r t h , a n d t h e metamorphosis of figures and faces, and missiles, and t h e signs of Doomsday following each other, one after t h e other, like a broken necklace with its beads scattered simultaneously. (Reported by Tirmidhi calling it a Hasan-Gharib Hadith)

A Warning Not to Be Ignored!
Read the words of this Hadith again and again, and you will start seeing a blueprint of the world of our time spread out before you. Here is a n advance warning given by t h e Holy Prophet $& almost fourteen hundred years ago, against sins prevailing among Muslims, and which are increasing day by day. He has reminded Muslims that they have to remain vigilant against such conditions and take full precautions to avoid such sins both personally and socially. Otherwise, once these sins become accepted common practice, such s i n n e r s will be visited by Divine punishments. Then, the very last signs of Qiyamah will appear squarely before them. Since, t h e singing of women a n d t h e playing of musical instruments are included under those sins, this narration h a s been cited in the present context. For t h a t matter, there a r e many more authentic AhZdith where singing and playing of musical instruments have been declared unlawful and impermissible. Severe warnings have been given against indulging in these. This humble writer has cited all these narrations in his treatise entitled: $1 -3 2 d which is in Arabic and has been published as Part V of AhkZm ul-Qur'an. Only some of those have been given here.
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Reciting morally beneficial poetry in a good voice without musical instruments is not prohibited In contrast to what has been stated above, there are narrations that

seem to hint towards permissibility of 'ghina" (singing). Such narrations have also been collected and included in the treatise referred to here. To bring t h e two kinds of narration i n harmony, i t can be said t h a t t h e singing of a non-mahram woman, or a song accompanied by musical instruments are forbidden. This is in accordance with what has been proved on the authority of the cited verses of the Qur'an and from the &Edith of the Holy Prophet $$. However, if some poetic compositions are recited in a pleasing voice, and the reciting person is not a woman or a beardless young man, and the subject of the poetry recited is also not vulgar or indecent a n d is not inclusive of a n y o t h e r sin, t h e n , i t i s permissible. that they listened As for the reports attributed to some revered ~Ufis, to 'ghina" (sama'), it is based on this kind of permissible 'ghina"- because, it is certain that they followed the S h a d a h and Sunnah faithfully. That they would ever commit some such sin, simply cannot be imagined. Those learned among t h e SGfk have themselves explained i t explicitly. The treatise mentioned earlier carries the sayings of t h e jurists of t h e four schools of jurisprudence a s well a s those of the SEf: authorities. At this place, the summary as given has been considered sufficient i n the present context."

Verses 10.- 11

He has created the skies without the pillars that you may see, and placed mountains on the earth, lest it shakes with you, and spread over it all kinds of creatures. And We sent down water from the heavens and caused to grow in it every noble pair. [lo] This is
*. The original work in Arabic and its Urdu translation with exhaustive notes under
t h e title, " I s l a m aur Mausiqi" (Islam a n d Music) h a s been published by Maktaba-e-Darul-Uloom, Jamia Darul-Uloom, Korangi, Karachi-75180, Pakistan. Those interested in a detailed discussion of the subject would find both versions useful.

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the creation of Allah. Now, show me what is created by those others, besides Him. Rather, the transgressors are in open error. [ll]

Commentary Verse 10 opens with the words: $ +Z& +$I & (He h a s created ; > , , the skies without the pillars that you may see). Another verse on the same s ,$, ( Allah is the One who raised the subject: 6;;: & , 9 9 1 ,, heavens without pillars. You see them. 13:2) h a s appeared earlier i n SGrah Ar-Ra'd ( with a different translation). Analyzed grammatically, the text admits two alternative meanings.

2;

1. If we were to take 4;; ( t a r a w n a h 3 to be the attribute of G ('amad) and revert its pronoun to 'amad, it would mean that Allah Ta'ZlZ created the skies without pillars that' you may see, t h a t is, had the pillars been there, you would have seen them. When pillars a r e not seen, i t is clear that this great roof of the sky has been erected without pillars. This explanation has been reported from Sayyidnz Hasan & a n d QatZdah.
(Ibn Kathir)

2. And if we w e r e to t a k e t h e pronoun of: $j> ( t a r a w n a h a ) a s reverting to: i 1 . (as-samawat: the skies) and this sentence a s standing 9 independently, then, it would mean that 'Allah Ta'alii created the skies without pillars as you see.' Then, there is yet another option i n the case of the first grammatical analysis whereby it could also be taken to mean that 'The skies stand on pillars that you cannot see - they are invisible.' This last explanation has been reported from SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas, 'Ikrimah i and MujZhid m dl d J Kathir). (Ibn
No matter what the option, the verse does point out to t h e particular sign of the perfect power of Allah Ta'ZlZ that He has made this extensive, high and magnificent roof in a way that no column and pillar is seen thereunder.

Verses 12 - 19

And We gave wisdom t o Luqman, ( a n d said), "Be grateful to Allah." And whoever is grateful is, in fact, grateful for his own benefit, and whoever is ungrateful, then Allah is free of all needs, worthy of all praise. [12] And when L u q m a n said t o his son while h e was advising him, "My dear son, do not ascribe partners to Allah. Indeed, ascribing partners to Allah (shirk) is grave transgression." [13]

Wf commanded man (to be good) about his parents. His mother carried him facing weakness after weakness, and his weaning is in two years: "Be grateful to Me and to your parents. To Me is the ultimate return. [14] And if t h e y force you to ascribe to Him p a r t n e r s a b o u t whom you have no knowledge, do not obey them. And be with them in this world, with due fairness, and follow the way of the one who has turned himself towards Me. Then, towards Me is your r e t u r n , so I shall tell you about what you had been doing." [15]

"My d e a r son, i n fact, if t h e r e be a n y t h i n g t o t h e measure of a grain of rye, and it be (hidden) in a rock or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Surely, Allah is All-Fine, All Aware. [16] My dear son, establish Saliih, and bid the Fair and forbid the Unfair, and observe patience on what befalls you. Surely, this is among the matters of determination. [17] And do not turn your cheek away from people, and do not walk on the earth haughtily. Surely, Allah does not like anyone arrogant, proud. [ l a ] And be moderate in your walk, and lower your voice. Surely, the ugliest of voices is the voice of the donkeys." [19]

Commentary . Who was LuqmZn mentioned in verse 12: WI G aj (And Y We gave wisdom to LuqmZn)? According t o a r e p o r t of Wahb I b n Munnabih, LuqmZn, % 8 was a nephew of Sayyidna Ayytib (Job) $1 wkile MuqZtil identifies him as his brother from his maternal aunt. I t appears in Tafsb ul-BaidZwi and elsewhere that he lived long, a s long as the time of SayyidnZ DZwiid '=I. I t is proved by other reports too that appeared during the time of SayyidnZ DZwGd ,%I. LuqmZn,

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And t h e report of SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs & appearing i n ad-Durr al-Manthur s a y s t h a t h e w a s a n Ethiopian slave who worked a s a carpenter (narrated by Ibn Abi Shaibah and &mad in az-Zuhd, and Ibn Jarir and Ibn al-Mundhir and others). When the SahZbi, SayyidnZ JZbir Ibn 'AbdullZh & was asked about his background, he said that he was a n Ethiopian of low height and flat nose. And MujZhid said that he was a thick-lipped, cracked-footed Ethiopian slave (al-ZajjZj).(Ibn Kathir) An Ethiopian came to Sa'id Ibn al-Musayyab looking for a n answer to some religious problem. The famous TZbi'l consoled him by telling him that he should not worry about the dark color of his skin, because there were three highly revered persons from among the black people who were regarded as the best of any people anywhere. Then he cited the names of SayyidnZ BilZl al-Habash;, Sayyidn5 Mahja', the freed slave of SayyidnZ 'Umar Ibn ul-KhattZb -1 /r65 hi dJ, LuqmZn .1and

The Identity of LuqmZn According to Ibn Kath:, the majority of the elders concur that he was not a prophet. T h a t h e was a prophet h a s been reported only from

'Ikrimah , b u t t h e a u t h o r i t y of t h i s report i s weak. T h e n , I m a m al-Baghawi reports a consensus on the fact that he was a man of wisdom and knowledgeable in religious law, but not a prophet. (Maqhari) Ibn Kathb has also pointed out to a n unusual report from SayyidnZ QatZdah about him saying that Allah Ta'ZlZ had given LuqmZn a choice between prophethood (nubuwwah) a n d wisdom (hikmah). He opted for wisdom. And in some reports, it appears that he was given the option to be a prophet. But he had submitted that he would be honored to accept it if that was a command, otherwise he should be excused. Again, it has also been reported from Sayyidna Qatadah that someone asked Luqman, =I: 'Why did you prefer wisdom over prophethood while you were given a choice between t h e two?' He said, 'The office of a prophet carries great responsibilities. Had that been given to me without my choice, Allah Ta'alZ would have been sufficient to see t h a t I am enabled to discharge its responsibilities as due. And if I had asked for it with my choice and volition, the responsibility would have been mine.' (Ibn
Kathir)

Now, i t already s t a n d s established t h a t LuqmZn qil! s not a wa Nabiyy or prophet. This is as held by the majority of the scholars. So, we can say that the command mentioned in the present verse (i.e.Be grateful to Allah) could have been given to him through IlhZm (inspiration) attributed to men of Allah (awliya' Allah). Luqman $&@I used to give Before the time of SayyidnZ DZwGd FatwE (religious rulings on questions asked by people). When Sayyidna DZwiidI@&$ was invested with prophethood, h e stopped t h i s practice believing that he was not needed anymore. According to some reports, he was a judge among the Bani Isra'a. Many words of wisdom have been reported from him. Wahb Ibn Munnabih says that he has read more than ten thousand of these. (Qurtubi) On a certain day, while sage LuqmZn was addressing a big gathering of people sharing his wisdom with them, there came a person and asked him point blank: 'Are you not the same person who used to graze goats with me in such and such forest?' LuqmEn 1,said: 'Yes, I am the same person." The man asked, 'How then, could you achieve this status that such multitudes of people hold you in reverence and come to hear your

words from far a n d wide?' LuqmZn said: 'The reason lies in two ihings I do: (1) Always telling the t r u t h a n d (2) avoiding t h e useless things. It appears in another report that he said: 'I tell you about a few things that have given me this station in life. If you were to take to these, you too will have the same rank and status. These are as follow: (1)Lower your gaze and hold your tongue. (2) Stay content with lawful sustenance. (3) Guard your private parts. (4) Tell the truth and uphold it. (5) Fulfill the pledge. (6) Honor the guest. (7)\Protect the neighbor. (8) Observe silence against wasteful speech and leave off all useless indulgences.' (Ibn
~athir)

w, 1

What does the 'hikmah' given to LuqmZn actually mean? The word: & (hikmah) h a s been used i n t h e Qur'Zn (20 times) conveying several meanings such a s wisdom, knowledge, reason, forbearance, patience, prophethood, and correctness of opinion.
Commentator Abii Hayyan has said: 'Hikmah means a statement in words, a statement that teaches people a lesson, a lesson that goes down their hearts and which they conserve and communicate to others.' And the famous SahZbT, SayyidnZ 'AbdullZh Ibn 'AbbZs & said: 'Hikmah means intellect, understanding and intelligence' while some others have said t h a t acting in accordance with knowledge is w h a t Hikmah is. In reality, there is no contradiction here. All these ingredients are included under the purview of Hikmah. Those who have seen the abridged Tafsir of moulana Ashraf Ali ThZnavi in t h e original Urdu version of the present Tafsb will notice that he has translated Hikmah in the sense of prudence and wisdom and explained it as being knowledge that h a s been p u t into practice. This is very comprehensive a n d very clear. After having mentioned the giving of Hikmah to LuqmZn, on whom be peace, in this verse (12), it was said: "Be grateful to Allah." Here, the first probability is to take the word: (qulnE: We said) a s understood. The sense would be that 'We gave Hikmah to LuqmZn and commanded him to be grateful to Allah.' Then, there are others who have also said that the statement: $1 (anishkur lillah: Be grateful to Allah) is in itself a n explanation of ~ [ k m a h .In other words, the Hikmah given to LuqmEn was that 'We gave him the command to be grateful which he

4

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Siirah LuqmZn : 31 : 12 - 19

42

carried out.' I n t h a t case, i t would mean t h a t being grateful to t h e blessings of Allah Ta'ZlZ is the greatest wisdom (hikmah). Soon after, it was explicitly clarified that this command to be grateful was not given by Allah Ta'ElZ to earn some benefit for Himself. He needs no gratefulness from anyone. I n fact, it has been done in the interest of human beings and for their benefit - because, according to the law of Allah, whoever is grateful to Him, He causes a n increase in the blessings given to a person. Mentioned after that there are some words of wise counsel spoken by LuqmZn to his son. These have been reported by t h e Qur'Zn so t h a t others may also benefit from these. Out of these wise advices, first comes the soundness of beliefs, the primary article of which is t h a t one believes i n Allah Ta'ElZ to be t h e Creator a n d m a s t e r of t h e entire universe without a n y association or partnership of anyone or anything. In consequence, one should not take anyone other than Allah a s a n object of worship, for no injustice can be as grave in this world a s the act of one who stoops to equate some creation of Allah Ta'ZlE with the Creator. Therefore, it was said: &L , , (My dear son, do not ascribe partners to Allah. Indeed, ascribing partners to Allah is (shirk) grave transgression - 13). Later, follow other words of good counsel a n d wisdom spoken by LuqmZn to h i s son. I n between, t h e r e appears another command to highlight t h e gravity of S h i r k a n d t h a t i t h a s to be avoided u n d e r a l l circumstances.This command is as follows:

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And We commanded man (to be good) about his parents. His mother carried him facing weakness after weakness, and his weaning is in two years: "Be grateful to Me and to your parents. To Me is the ultimate return. [14] And if they force you to ascribe to Him partners about whom you have no knowledge, do not obey them. And be with them, in this world, with due fairness, and follow the way of the one who has turned himself towards Me. Then, towards Me is your return, so I shall tell you

about what you had been doing." [15]

Gratitude and Obedience to Parents is Obligatory - but, Obedience to anyone Counter to Divine Command is not Permissible
I n effect, t h e command quoted above means: 'No doubt, We have asked children to be grateful and obedient to their parents. We have even commanded them to be grateful to Us, and along with it, to be grateful and obedient to their parents. But, Shirk (the ascribing of partners in the pristine divinity of Allah Ta'ZlG) is so grave a transgression a n d so serious a sin that it does not become permissible for anyone, not even if one's parents command or force someone to commit it. If the parents of a person start forcing him or her to take someone as a partner of Allah Ta'ZlZ, even in that case, i t is not permissible to obey their command.' Now, a t this place, where command has been given to be grateful to parents and fulfill their rights, also pointed out is its efficient cause. Is it not that one's mother has undergone great trial in the phenomena of his or her life a n d survival? She h a s kept the child i n h e r body for nine months remaining vigilant and protective all the time. Because of this, day by day, h e r weakness a n d discomfort k e p t increasing. This s h e braved through. Then, even after the birth of the child, she handled the task of feeding the child, a task that demanded painstaking attention day and night and which also added to the already receding graph of her weakness. Since, i t is t h e mother who faces most of t h e h a r d s h i p i n bringing up the child, therefore, the right of mother has been made to precede even the right of father in the Shari'ah of Islam. What has been s a i d i n : $6 2 >j ~ll;. 'k; &j C G$(> Gjj ( A n d We commanded man [to be good] about his parents. His mother carried him facing weakness after weakness, and his weaning is in two years - 14) comes to mean exactly this. After that, in: & C 5!j (And if they force you L; - 15), it was pointed out that the matter of ascribing anyone other than Allah with Him is serious. In it, even the (otherwise essential) obedience to parents is haram (unlawful).

IslZm's Peerless Law of Justice
Now in a situation under which the parents force a son or daughter to take to Shirk and Kufr while the command of Allah Ta'ZlE tells them not to do what they say, things become difficult. One naturally fails to stay

within limits. I n this case, while implementing the Divine injunction, the probability did exist that the son or daughter would have used improper language or manners in their response to parents and thus insulted them. IslZm is a law, just and equitable. Here, everything has a limit. Therefore, right along with the command of not obeying parents in matters of Shirk, . d also given there was the command: ij; G ~2IC& (And be with them, in this world, with due fairness - 15). I t means: 'In t h e m a t t e r of t h e contravention of your f a i t h a n d religion, do not obey parents. But, when i t comes to worldly matters, such a s s e r v i n g p a r e n t s physically or financially o r i n a n y o t h e r way necessary, do not fall short about it. Instead, deal with them in mundane matters according to recognized custom. Show no disrespect to them. Do not respond to what they say in a manner that hurts them unnecessarily. In other words, the pain you cause them by not accepting their insistence on Shirk and Kufr is something you will have to bear by, since you have no choice there. But, let this necessity stay within its functional limits and keep abstaining from causing any pain to them in other matters.' S p e c i a l Note As for the weaning period of two years for a child mentioned in the v e r s e , i t i s i n accordance w i t h c u s t o m a r y practice. I t c a r r i e s n o clarification concerning the injunction relevant to any additional period of suckling the child. A detailed explanation of this issue will, insha'Allah, .,',I '&;'4ih;; (And his appear under the commentary on the verse: I& carrying and weaning is (in) thirty months - Al-Ahqaf, 46:15).
6 , '

T h e S e c o n d B e q u e s t of LuqmZn a b o u t Articles of Belief One should irrevocably hold the belief that the knowledge of Allah Ta'ZlZ surrounds every single particle of whatever there is in and around the expanses of the heavens and the earth with His most perfect power. Nothing can - be it the smallest of the small not commonly visible, or be it the farthest of the far, or be it behind layers upon layers of darkness and curtains - simply nothing can hide from the knowledge and view of Allah Ta'ZlZ. And He can, when He wills, cause it to be present, where He wills. * a , , This is what is meant by verse 16: J , 3 >+ $1 I &-(My dear & ! j & son, in fact, if there be anything to the measure of a grain of rye, and it be [hidden] in a rock or in the heavens and the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Surely, Allah is All-Fine, All Aware). T h e n , t h e all-covering
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SZrah - LuqmZn : 31 : 12 - 19

45

knowledge and power of Allah Ta'ZlZ is, in its own place, a basic belief of IslZm - and certainly, a great proof of Tauhid, the belief in the Oneness of Allah.

The Third Bequest of LuqmZn about the Correction of Deed
There a r e m a n y obligatory deeds, b u t t h e g r e a t e s t a n d t h e most important of these is SalZh - and not simply that i t is important by itself, it also happens to be the master deed that becomes the catalyst changing other deeds towards the better a s was pointed out in the Holy Qur'Zn about i t : Ql; ,-al b, 1 5, ( S u r e l y S a l Z h r e s t r a i n s f r o m y, &-& - 1
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The Fourth Bequest of LuqmZn about the Betterment of People
IslZm is a collective religion. Betterment of the community, along with the betterment of the individual, is a n important part of its social system. Therefore, the duty of Bidding the Fair and Forbidding the Unfair (amr bi 'I-ma'ruf a n d nahy 'ani 'I-munkar) was mentioned along with a s important a duty a s the SalZh. I t was said: GI $1; ;j ;j (and bid i e the Fair and forbid the Unfair -17). Here ard two duties: (1)~ a k yourself better and (2) make others better. Both need a lot of restraint and hard work. Facing t h e s e difficulties a n d remaining firm is no e a s y t a s k . Particularly so, when those who s t a n d to serve people by telling them what is good for t h e m receive nothing b u t opposition a n d hostility i n r e t u r n . Therefore, while m a k i n g t h i s recommendation, i t w a s also A,)! ; L j; (and observe patience on recommended: $31 (/ what befalls you. Surely, this is among the matters of determination - 17).

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The Fifth Bequest of LuqmZin about Social Manners In verse 18, it was said: J v-Yj (And do not t u r n your cheek k ,, ,' ' away from people). The expression: w-Y (la tusa"ir) is a derivation from:
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( ~ a ' a r a which is a disease among camels that causes a tilt in the neck ) similar to the stroke among human beings that makes the face become crooked. I t carries the sense of turning one's face away (in disdain). Thus, the verse means: 'do not turn your face away from people when you meet them and talk to them for it is a sign of avoidance and arrogance and very much against the norms of gentle manners.' In the next sentence of the verse, it was said: 2 ~2 1 Y; (and ~ do not walk on the earth haughtily - 18). The last word: (maraha) denotes walking proudly with assumed airs. The sense of the statement is that Allah Ta'ZlZ has given this earth the lowest profile from among the entire range of elements He created. I s it not that you were born from it and on i t you walk around? Know your reality and do not walk haughtily. This is the way of the arrogant. Therefore, after that, it was said: : ! , ,: > ?+ ?d y (Surely, Allah does not like anyone arrogant, proud - 18).
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Verse 19 begins with the statement: 2 ;?;.pi!; (And be moderate i n your walk). Whkn done otherwise, i n h a s t e or helter-skelter, i t goes against decorum and dignity. Says the Had;th: "Making too much haste i n walking r u i n s t h e radiance of t h e believer ( a l - J a m i ' as-Saghlr from Sayyidna Abii Hurairah 4). in a manner of walking such a s this, there Then, remains the likelihood of hurting one's own self or someone else as well. And being moderate in walking also tells us that one should not walk very slowly either. This is the habit of the arrogant and the ostentatious who like to impress people with their distinct class. Or, it is the habit of women who do not walk fast due to their natural modesty. Or, it is the habit of t h e sick i n need of u r g e n t medical attention who would do so o u t of compulsion. The first mode is haram, a n d t h e second too, for i t i s not permissible if the intention is to strike a semblance with women. And when no such intention is there, the thing remains, after all, a defect for men. Finally, in the third mode, i t is ungratefulness to Allah in that one stoops to feign the looks of the sick despite being all too healthy. Sayyidna 'AbdullEh Ibn Mas'iid & said: 'The noble Sahabah were prohibited from walking hurriedly (as if running) like the Jews and also from walking very slowly (as if crawling) like the Christians. The order given to them was that they should take to a moderate gait in between the two.'

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When Sayyidah 'Kishah L+.s hl p~ saw a person walking very slowly as if he was going to fall dead, she asked the people around, 'Why does he have to walk like that?' They told her, 'He is one of the Qurra'.' The word: +I$ (qurra') is the plural of: ~ ~ C k(al-qari: one trained to recite the Qur'iin ll in accordance with its Phonetics). In those days, someone who combined the twin mastery of reciting the Qur'iin with authenticity and observance of due etiquette a s well a s being a perfect scholar of the Qur'Zn was also called a Qari'. So, by saying what they did, they meant t h a t h e was some big Qari' and 'am, therefore, he walked like that. Thereupon, Sayyidah 'Eishah 1 3 d & said, "Umar Ibn ul-KhattZb, may Allah be pleased 9. l , with him, was a lot more QZri' than he is. But, his habit was to walk swiftly when he walked (not in the sense of post-haste walking which is prohibited, r a t h e r meaning a functional swiftness i n it). And when h e talked, h e talked i n a m a n n e r t h a t people would h e a r h i m well (not speaking a t a pitch so low as would compel his audience to ask: Beg your pardon, what did you say)? At the end of the fifth recommendation it was said: A:> *I; (and lower your voice - 19). 'Lowering' means: Do not Yaisk your voice any more than necessary. And do not shout - as it appe'arkd i n the case of immediately earlier. He talked in a manner that his Sayyidnii 'Umar &&J audience would hear him without having to put any strain on their ears. Thereafter, it w a s s a i d : g \ +\;$Y\ 1 51. (Surely, t h e ugliest of $ voices is the voice of the donkeys - 19). Regarding social manners, four prohibitions were mentioned here: (1) The prohibition of t a l k i n g to a n d meeting with people face t u r n e d arrogantly; (2) the prohibition of walking haughtily on God's earth; (3) the instruction to be moderate in one's walking; and (4) the prohibition of talking very loudly. All these virtues were already part of the habits and traits of the Holy Prophet $&. As i n the Shama'il of Tirmidhl, Sayyidnii Husain & says that he asked his father, SayyidnZ 'All al-Murtada & about t h e manner in which he interacted with people he sat with. He said:

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"He was always cheerful, naturally obliging, gentle. Neither impolite, nor rude, he was not clamorous or immodest and no faultfinder and no miser. He would remain indifferent to what he did not like, yet would not make others become distracted from i t (if halal a n d desirable to have) a n d would not s a y anything that would stop others from having what he did not want (instead, would observe silence). There were three things he had left out for good: (1) Disputation, (2) Arrogance and (3) Indulgence with what was unnecessary, not worth doing."

Verses 20 - 32

Have you not seen that Allah has subjugated for you what is in the heavens and what is on the earth and has perfected His blessings on you, both outward a n d inward? And among the people there is one who debates about Allah with no knowledge, no guidance and no book to enlighten. [20] And when i t is said to them, "follow what Allah has sent down," they say, "instead, we would follow what we found our fathers on." Is it so - even though the Satan has been calling them to the punishment of the flaming Fire? [21] And whoever submits his self to Allah ,and is good in deeds, he does, in fact, hold on to the strongest ring. And towards Allah is the ultimate end of all matters.
[221

And whoever disbelieves, let not his disbelief grieve you. To Us is their return. Then We will tell them what they did. Surely, Allah is All Aware of what lies in the hearts. [23] We let them enjoy a little, then We will drag them to a heavy punishment. [24] And if you ask them as to who has created the heavens and the earth, they will certainly say, "Allah." Say, "Alhamdulillah" (Praise be to Allah). But most of them do not know. [25]

To Allah belongs what is in the heavens and the earth. Surely, it is Allah who is free of all needs, worthy of every praise. I t is Allah who is All-Independent, Ever-Praised. [26]
,And if all trebs that are on the earth were to be pens

Siirah LuqmZn : 31 : 20 - 32 a n d t h e ocean (converted into ink) is s u p p o r t e d by seven seas following it, the words of Allah would not come to a n end. Surely, Allah is Mighty, Wise. [27] Creation a n d resurrection of you all is no more (to Allah) than that of one single person. Surely, Allah is All-Hearing, All Seeing. [28] Did you not see that Allah makes the night enter into the day, and makes the day enter into the night, and He has subjugated the sun and the moon, each r u n n i n g towards a n appointed time, a n d t h a t Allah is fully aware of what you do? [29] That is because Allah is the only Real One and what they invoke other than Him is false and Allah is the High, the Great. [30] Did you not see that the ships sail through the sea by the grace of Allah, so that He shows you some of His signs? I n that, indeed, there are signs for every man of patience and gratitude. [31] And when they are covered by waves like canopies. they pray to Allah, having faith purely in Him. Theq, once He brings them safe to the land, some of thcm r r e (still) balanced. And no one denies Our signs except every ungrateful traitor. [32] Commentary

50

At the beginning of the Siirah, the KEfirs and t h e Mushriks were admonished for still persisting with their Kufr and Shirk despite that they had seen the manifestations of the all-encompassing knowledge and the most perfect power of Allah Ta'ZlZ. And in contrast to their condition, obedient believers were praised and mention was made of their good end. In between, the description of the bequests (wasEyZ) of LuqmZn, peace on him, was in a way a complement of the same subject. In the verses cited above, the text reverts to the subjects of Allah Ta'ZlZ's all-encompassing knowledge and power, His bounties and favors showered on the creations with a n exhortation to believe in the principle of His Oneness. ,,, I , The expression: yw (sakhkhara lakum: translated a s 'subjugated I for you') in verse 20: ~ ; Y 2 C; +$I 2 6 $ I (Allah has subjugated for you what is in the heavens and what is on the earth) is well known and means to make something subservient to someone. This raises a question a t this place. Is it not that, first of all, not even everything on the
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earth is subservient to human will and command? In fact, there are many things that act counter to human choice. As for things of the heavens p a r t i c u l a r l y , t h e r e e x i s t s j u s t a b o u t no probability of t h e i r being subservient to h u m a n beings. The answer is t h a t 'subjugation' really means to force something into doing a particular job in a state of virtual compulsion. So, subjugating the entire creation of the heavens and the earth for human beings means that the whole range of such creations was yoked in their service to bring all sorts of benefits to them. Out of these things, many were put in their service by subjecting them to their command a s well, in t h a t they could use them a s and when they wished. But, there are other things that have been, of course, commissioned to serve them - which they are doing all right - but, such was t h e dictate of Divine wisdom, t h a t they were not made subject to t h e command of human beings, for example, t h e heavenly creations, p l a n e t s , s t a r s , lighting, rains a n d similar others. Had they been subjugated to follow human orders, these elements of creation would have been affected by human temperaments, tastes and varying conditions. One human being would have wanted t h e s u n to rise early while t h e need of t h e other would have it rise later. Someone would have asked for rains while the other, being in travel through a n open field, would have opted for no rains. So, these divergent demands would have triggered operational malfunction in the workings of the universal heavenly system. Therefore, Allah Ta'ZlZ did put all these things into the service of human beings but did not make them subject to their will and command. This too is, in a way, subjugation. Allah knows best. The word: LL-1 (isbzgh)in the next sentence of verse 20: ' ;$$ $ij L; &~:;ijad (and h a s perfected His blessings on you, both outward a n d inward) means to perfect, make complete, provide in great abundance to the last fill. The Arabic word: IC;: (ni'am)means 'blessings' which human beings recognize through their senses, for instance, the beauty of shape and the symmetry of human limbs made into such proportion a s would allow maximum functional movement causing no disfigurement of one's shape a n d looks. Similarly, provisions, property; wealth, avenues of economic opportunity, h e a l t h a n d well being a r e also o u t w a r d a n d Perceived blessings. I n the same way, making the religion of IslZm easy to follow, being enabled to obey Allah a n d His Rasiil, t h e ascendancy of

Islgm dver other faiths and the support given to Muslims encountering enemies also come under the same outward blessings. As for inward blessings, they relate to the human heart, such a s , ' l m ~ n (faith), knowing Allah (ma'rifah), intellect, reason, good morals, t h e good fortune of having one's s i n s left unexposed a n d of one's crimes not punished instantly and many others. The manifestations of Allah's knowledge, power and blessings a r e endless. These cannot by encompassed by anyone through speech, nor can any pen write them comprehensively. This has been stated in the verse: ; i$ $ 3 L: 51 >j (27) t h r o u g h a similitude. S a y s t h e similitude: 'If all trees that are on the earth were to be pens (or pens were to be made of all branches on them) and the ocean (converted into ink) is supported by seven seas following it, the words of Allah would (still) not come to a n end.' The expression: d akl( (kalimatul-Eah, i.e. the words of l Allah) means His knowledge and wisdom (RW ul-Ma%; and Mazhari) which includes the manifestations of Divine power and Divine blessings. Then, the 'seven seas' referred to here do not mean that there are seven seas present elsewhere. Instead of that, this is a manner of saying: Suppose if this ocean were to be replenished with seven more oceans, still then, all these words of Allah could not be committed to writing. Even the number of 'seven' a p p e a r s h e r e a s a p a r t of t h e example. No restriction i s intended. Another verse of the Qur'Zn proves it. There it was said:

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Say, 'If the ocean were to be ink for the Words of my Lord, the ocean would have been consumed before the Words of my Lord are exhausted, even though we were to bring another one, like it, in addition' - Al-Kahf, 18:109. In this verse, by saying: & (bimithlihi: like it), a clear hint has been given that, no matter how many oceans a r e supposed, their collective writing fluid cannot circumscribe the Words of Allah. Rationally, t h e reason is obvious. The oceans may be added one after the other and be they seven or seven thousand, they shall still remain liniited while the Words of Allah (knowledge) a r e unlimited. How, then, can something limited make an all-encompassing coverage of what is unlimited?

As it appears in some narratives, this verse was revealed in response to a question posed by Jewish priests. The reason which prompted them to ask this question was the verse of the Qur'Zn where it has been said: G j e , ,, ,' (and you are not given but a little from the knowledge Y! ,&I 2 ~l-'Isra', 17:85). When t h e Holy Prophet came to t h e blessed city of Madinah, some Jewish priests visited him and it was about this verse that they confronted him by saying, "You say that you have been given a little from the knowledge. Is this what you are saying about your people, or have you included us too therein?" The Holy Prophet said, "I mean all," that is, 'our people a n d the Jews a n d Christians a s well.' Thereupon, increasing the tempo of their opposition, they said, "To us, Allah Ta'ZlZ ,' has given the Torah which stands out as: $2! dG (an explanation of J& . everything)." He said, "That too is b u t a little a s compared to Divine Knowledge. Then, even the total knowledge contained in the Torah is not known to you either - what you go by is no more than a certain measure of what you need. Therefore, as compared to the Divine Knowledge, the collective knowledge of all Scriptures and Prophets is also nothing but a little." It was to support this statement that the verse: j:j;';il d $j yMjIi>(And if all trees that are on the earth were to be pens ... - 27) was revealed. (Ibn Kathir)
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Verses 33 - 34

0 people, fear your Lord and fear a day when no father
will suffice his son, nor will a son be sufficing his father in the least. Surely, the promise of Allah is true. So, the worldly life must not deceive you, nor you should ever be deceived about Allah by the Deceiver.

Siirah LuqmZn : 31 : 33 - 34
[33] Surely, it is Allah with whom rests the knowledge of the Hour; and He sends down the rain and He knows what is in the wombs. And no one knows what he will earn tomorrow and no one knows in which land he will die. Surely, Allah is All ,Knowing, A11 Aware. [34]

54

Commentary In the first of the two verses cited above, the address is to common people, believing and disbelieving both. They have been served with a notice that they will face Allah and be accountable before Him for their deeds on the day of Judgement and that they should be prepared for it. It , ,:s , was said: &, l r j l $0 (0 people, fear your Lord - 33). At this place, the text has not gone by the name of Allah Ta'ZlZ or His some other attribute. Instead of that, it has elected to mention the attribute of Rabb (master, sustainer of all, usually translated as Lord with this sense included therein). This serves as an indicator towards the nature of fearing Allah Ta'ZlZ. Hence, the command to fear given here is not the kind of fear one habitually has from some beast or enemy. The reason is that 'Allah Ta'ZlZ is your Rabb. He nourishes, sustains and cherishes you. He is the compassionate master. Why would someone apprehend this kind of danger from Him?' Instead of that, the fear mentioned at this place is the particular 'fear' that is necessarily generated because of the sublimity and awe of one's elders. It is in that sense that a son 'fears' his father and a student, his teacher. They are no enemies. They are not going to hurt them. But, their affectionate sublimity and awe reside in hearts and it is from there that these two make one obey a father and a teacher. This is what is meant at this place and it is being said that 'the sublimity and awe of Allah Ta'ZlE should reign supreme over your hearts so that you can obey Him, perfectly and easily.'
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The next sentence reads: ?41, j49 >,Jy Y; ?J; i i j &+C I&\; j ;j i ; (and fear a day when no father kill suffice his son, nor will a son be sufficing his father in the least - 33). It means the father and son out of whom one is a believer and the other, a disbeliever. The sense is that a believing father would neither be able to remit or reduce the punishment of his disbelieving son nor would he be able to bring any benefit to him. Similarly, a believing son will be of no avail to his disbelieving father.
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The reason for this particularization lies in other verses of the noble Qur'En, and the narratives of Hadith. There it has been clarified that, on

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the day of Judgement, parents will intercede on behalf of their children and the children on behalf of their parents. Then, this intercession will ,,'.,~\, turn out to be successful as well. Says the Qur7Zn: eJi ,++,d , ,&mi (And those who believed a n d their children followed , , dL;.b them in belidf, w e will join their children with them - 52:21) even though their deeds may not match the ranking of the deeds of their parents, but such would be the barakah of righteous parents that they too would be made to reach where their parents are. But, this is subject to the condition that the children should be believers - even though, their deeds may have suffered from some shortcomings.
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Similarly, in another verse, it was said: &; I) >j &$2 dG & &$ij ,+jjj (the eternal gardens they enter, and the righteous A their f fathers, spouses, and progeny as well - 13:23). Qualification refers here to their being believers. Both these verses prove that, should parents and children and, in the same way, a husband and wife, share the common denominator of being believers, then, they will receive benefit from each other even on the day of Judgement. Similar to this, there a r e several narratives of Hadith which report children interceding on behalf of their parents. Therefore, this rule set forth in the present verse (33) - that no father can bring any benefit to his son and no son to his father on the day of Judgement - can become operative only in a situation when one of them is a believer while the other, a disbeliever. (Mazhari)

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Special Note: Here, it should be noted that the statement declaring the inability of a father to bring benefit to his son (&; 3 2 s Y - 3) has been made through a verbal sentence, but two changes were made while mentioning the other side of it. Firstly, i t was described i n t h e form of a nominal sentence. Secondly, the word: >Jr(maulEd) meaning the born one, that is, a son, was employed instead of ( ,:walad) which is more common for d 'son.' There is a wise consideration a t work here. A nominal sentence is more emphatic as compared to a verbal sentence. By this change in the sentence, a hint was released towards the difference between a father and his children. T h e love of a father with his children is more intense. Contrary to this, the love of children does not reach this level of intensity even in the mortal world. However, the likelihood of either of the two

Siirah LuqmZn : 31 : 33 - 34

56

bringing any benefit for each other on the day of Judgement has been negated in the case of both, but the children's lack of ability to bring benefit h a s been described with added emphasis. Then, t h e r e is a particular wise consideration in electing the word: >J,A (mauliid) instead of AJ, (walad). The word, >Jr'mauliid' denotes one's own son or children only. As for the word$, 'walad,' it is general and includes the children of one's children as well. Thus, it is from another angle that the same subject has been strengthened. I t is being virtually said, 'when even the son from the very loins of t h e father would be of no avail to t h e father, a n y expectations from the grandson and the great grandson are futile.' In the next verse, the knowledge of five things has been declared as exclusive to Allah Ta'iilii and that no created being has that knowledge except Him and a t this ends the SErah LuqmEn:

Surely, it is Allah with whom rests the knowledge of the Hour, and He sends down the rain, and He knows what is in the wombs. And no one knows what he will earn tomorrow and no one knows in which land he will die. Surely, Allah is All Knowing, All Aware - 31:34. Though, it has not been made explicit in the first three things that no one has their knowledge other than Allah, but the style of the statement is such that it seems to give the impression that the knowledge of these things rests limited to Divine Knowledge. As for the other two things mentioned later, there it has been explicitly said that no one has their knowledge other t h a n Allah. These very five things have been called "keys to the Unseen" ( 1L : mafitih al-ghayb) in a verse of Siirah 4F -, >', Al-An'iim: $! Y 41 '&j (And with Him are the keys of the && Unseen. No one knows them b u t He - 6:59). I n HadTth, i t h a s been referred a s eL (mafatih al-ghayb). Both (mafatih) a n d , b + (mafit'ih) are the plural forms of cL (miftah) meaning key which opens locks. It signifies sources of the Unseen that unravel its information.

in the heavens and the earth has the knowledge of the Unseen except Allah.' - 27:65) of Siirah An-Naml (Ma'ariful-Qur'Zn,Volume VI). That the knowledge of t h e unseen is particular to Allah Ta'ZlZ i n t h e absolute sense has been explicitly mentioned in this verse - and this h a s been the belief of the entire Muslim community from the earliest to the succeeding generations. As for the description of only five things particularly - that no created being h a s their knowledge a n d t h a t i t i s Allah alone who knows these - it is not meant for particularization. Otherwise, it would pose a contradiction with the verse of SErah An-Naml quoted above. The fact is that these five things have been mentioned here to highlight their special significance. There is a reason for this specific treatment and marked attention. Things of the Unseen that one is generally keen to find out are just these five. Then, there are astrologers and their kind who lay a claim to the knowledge of t h e unseen. Things they usually pick u p to inform people a b o u t , a n d t h e r e b y prove t h a t t h e y a r e possessors of t h e knowledge of the unseen, are again these very five things. And in some narratives of Hadith it has been reported that someone had asked the Holy Prophet % about these five things whereupon t h i s verse was revealed and wherein it has been stated that the knowledge of these five is particular with Allah Ta'ZlZ. (R* ul-Masni) As for the statement of the Holy Prophet % reported on the authority of SayyidnZ Ibn 'Umar and Ibn Mas'iid 1+= ,+ hi p in Hadith: , , (I have been given the keys to everything except the $! j y five) (reported by ImTm Ahmad - Ibn Kathir), t h e word: (I have been given) itself makes it all clear. I t shows that the knowledge of unseen things other than these five which came to the Holy Prophet came in the form of revelation (wahy) from Allah Ta'ZlZ. Therefore, i t is not included under t h e definition of t h e knowledge of t h e unseen ('Ilm ul-ghayb) because t h e news about things unseen given to t h e blessed prophets through wahy (revelation) and to t h e men of Allah (auliy'a') through ilham (inspiration) come from Allah Ta'ZlZ. I n terms of their reality, they are not the knowledge of the unseen based on which they could be called t h e possessors of 'the knowledge of t h e unseen' ('Zlim ,,,ul-ghayb). They are, rather, 41 (news of the unseen). This is a n area sL;~ of Divine prerogative. Whenever Allah Ta'ZlZ so wills, and i n whatever
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measure He wills, He would bestow such information on His angels, , ,-,,, , messengers a n d favored s e r v a n t s . These a r e called '4 ~lc'l'' (anba ' 1 <ul-ghayb)in the noble Qur'Zn, for instance: -B;-;' $1 &i & (These are some reports from the Unseen (events) which We reveal to you

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Therefore, t h e Hadith quoted above means t h a t , no doubt, Allah Ta'ZlZ has made these five things so exclusive to Himself that no angel or messenger has been given their knowledge even as 'news' of the unseen. However, besides these, a fair amount of the knowledge relating to other unseen things is given out to the blessed prophets through the medium of wahy (revelation). Thus, from what has been discussed above, we now know one more reason why these five things have been mentioned specially.

A doubt and i t s answer
The cited verse proves t h a t even in the absolute knowledge of t h e unseen which is a n integral a t t r i b u t e of Allah Ta'iilG t h e r e a r e five particular things the knowledge of which is not given to any prophet even through wahy (revelation). This demands that these things should never become known to anyone. However, countless events relating to men of Allah (auliya') in the Muslim community have been reported to the effect that somewhere they gave the news of rain, or pregnancy, or someone doing or not doing a deed in the future, or someone's exact place of death. And this foreboding turned out to be true as well when observed. Similarly, there are some astrologers or people well versed in the a r t of divination through what is known as Jafar and Ramal who would come up with some bits of information about these things and these, a t some times, would turn out to be true as well. This raises the question: How, then, cbuld these five things remain exclusive to Divine Knowledge? One answer to this question is the same as has appeared in details under our Commentary on SErah An-Naml (27:65, Ma'zriful-Qurzn, Volume VI). A brief one has been given above to the effect that the Knowledge of the Unseen, in its real sense, is knowledge without the mediation of a physical cause - t h a t is, s a n s medium, by itself. If t h e s e things a r e received by the blessed prophets through wahy (revelation), by men of Allah (auliya') through ilhEm (inspiration) and by astrologers and other

claimants to divination or prediction through t h e i r calculations and physical causes, t h e n , t h a t i s no knowledge of t h e unseen a s such. Instead, these a r e 'news' of the unseen. If someone from among the creation of Allah were to receive such news relating to some partial or personal matter, it would not be contradictory of t h e cited verse. The reason i s simple. According to t h e substance of t h e verse, t h e total knowledge of t h e s e five things, a knowledge which comprehends everything created a s well as every relative condition, is something not given by Allah Ta'ZlZ to anyone, neither through wahy (revelation) nor through ilham (inspiration). That someone gets to receive some partial knowledge through ilham (inspiration) in a stray case is not contradictory to it. In addition to that, when we say 'ilm (knowledge), it means absolute knowledge. That no one has except Allah Ta'iilZ. The knowledge a man of Allah (waliyy) receives through ilhiim (inspiration) is not absolute. Many probabilities of error or false perception exist in it. As for the information given out by astrologers and their ilk, it is a common observation that they hardly come up to the level of a single truth out of ten lies. How can that be called 'absolute knowledge'?

The issue of the Knowledge of the Unseen: An important note My respected teacher, Shaykh ul-IslZm ShabbTr Ahmad 'UsmZnT has made a brief but comprehensive comment in his explanatory notes on the Holy Qur'an which helps remove all doubts and difficulties of the nature mentioned above. He has said that there are two kinds of al-Ghayb (the unseen): (1) Injunctions of the unseen (al- ahkam ul-ghaybiyyah), such as, t h e injunctions originating from revealed laws t h a t include t h e knowledge of the Being and attributes of Allah Ta'ZlZ a s well and are called the knowledge of beliefs (al-'aqa'id). Also included therein are all injunctions of the Shari'ah or revealed law which tell us as to what sort of conduct meets the approval or disapproval of Allah Ta'ZlZ. I t goes without saying that all these things belong to nowhere but the unseen.
(2) Cosmology of the unseen (al-akwEn ul-ghaybiyyah), t h a t is, the knowledge of the events occurring in the world. The knowledge of the unseen things of t h e first kind h a s been given by Allah Ta'ZlE to His prophets a n d messengers. This i s mentioned i n t h e Qur'Zn i n t h e ',,- , following words: 3;: $ Y! I&\ 3%% : '(He is the) Knower of

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Siirah Luqman : 31 : 33 - 34

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the Unseen. So He does not let anyone know His Unseen, except a messenger whom He chooses (to inform through revelation) - 7226-27. As for t h e unseen events and occurrences of the other kind, their knowledge - the whole of it - is just not given by Allah Ta'ZlZ to anyone. That remains categorically exclusive to Him a s His intrinsic attribute. But, He gives partial knowledge of particular events when He wills and as much He wills. As such, the real knowledge of the unseen - all of it remains exclusive to Allah Ta'ElZ. Then, as is His customary practice, He reveals to the blessed prophets the knowledge of the injunctions of the unseen from o u t of His knowledge of t h e u n s e e n - a n d t h i s very knowledge i s t h e purpose of their mission. Then, there i s t h e partial knowledge of the events and occurrences of the world. That too is given by Allah Ta'ZlZ to prophets through revelation (wahy) and men of Allah (auliya') through inspiration (ilham) a t His discretion and to the measure of His choice. Thus, the part of knowledge so given is knowledge that has been bestowed on them by Allah Ta'Zl5. In the real sense, this cannot be called: r_LE ('ilm ul-ghayb: the knowledge of the unseen). Instead, it is : "an[m]bE' il-ghayb: the news of the unseen." called: 4 1

Special note concerning the words of the verse I n this verse, t h e objective is to describe t h e exclusiveness of t h e knowledge of these five things with Allah Ta'ElZ in a manner that shows marked care a n d attention. This objective obviously required t h a t five things should have been enumerated under a single head saying that their knowledge is exclusive to Allah Ta'ElZ and that no created entity has been given their knowledge. But, in the cited verse, this was not done. Instead, as for the knowledge of the initial three things, it was mentioned positively as being exclusive to Allah - while, in the later two things, the statement was negative declaring that no one other than Allah has their knowledge. Let us go back to the initial three things. Here, a variation in style becomes fairly visible even i n t h e s e t h r e e . We s e e t h a t t h e knowledge of the Hour has been mentioned in the following manner: 5 : 1! + J , 'a& (Surely, it is Allah with whom rests the knowledge of the CI Hour). Then the mode changes. The second thing has been taken up in ' *'> J3 (and He sends down the the form of a verbal sentence by saying: rain). I t simply h a s no mention of t h e knowledge of rain. Instead, i t mentions the sending down of rain. The third thing was mentioned with a

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changed mode once again and it was said: rd;~l G &j (and He knows $ what is in the wombs). This change of modality can only be taken as a sampling of versatility in eloquence of speech. If one were to ponder, there are other elements of wisdom embedded here. The respected author of BayZn ul-Qur'Zn has described these in his Tafsir. In brief, the last two things - what will one earn tomorrow and in which land will one die - are states connected with the human person. I t was probable that one would try to seek the relevant knowledge about these. Therefore, in both these cases, the acquiring of such knowledge on the part of anyone other than Allah was negated. Also proved effectively through this statement was t h e absence of the knowledge of t h e first three things for anyone other than Allah. The argument was simple. Here is someone who does not know about his doings and earnings tomorrow. Then, he does not know the end of it all, the point when and where he will die. How could he, then, be expected to know the heavens and the coming of rains and the thing hidden in the dark layers of a mother's womb? Finally, when mentioning the last thing, it was said t h a t one does not know the place of one's death. Yes, the text mentions 'place' only although, one does not know one's time of death too just like the place of death. The reason is that the place of death, even if not known definitely, is something one can guess in terms of one's outward living conditions. One can naturally assume that the place where one is settled would be the place where one would die, and a t the least, the place where one is to die is, after all, present somewhere in the world. This is contrary to the time of death. This time is in the future and the future is not here yet. So, a person who cannot know about his place of death, despite t h a t it i s present actually, how can it be imagined about him that he would come to know his time of death which simply does not exist then? So, t h e negation of one thing here makes t h e negation of others obvious in the first degree. Therefore, the text takes up both these things in the negative mode. As for the first three things, they are by themselves outside t h e scope of h u m a n access under perceptible conditions. T h a t human knowledge has nothing to do with it is all too clear. Therefore, a positive mode was chosen to describe their exclusiveness to Allah Ta'ZlG. Before parting with the subject, a few words about the use of nominal form in the first sentence and the verbal one in the later two sentences

S i i r a h LuqmZn : 31 : 33 - 34
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may be useful. P e r h a p s , t h e wisdom t h e r e i n is to suggest t h a t t h e QiyZmah or the Last Day is a definite imperative with no change in it. This is contrary to the coming of rain and the period of pregnancy. Their conditions keep changing - a n d t h e verbal sentence is suggestive of change. Therefore, that is what was used in both these cases. Then, we notice a delicacy of treatment within these two a s well. When dealing with the conditions of pregnancy, what was mentioned was Divine knowledge: { G ; ~& i &j (and He knows what is in the wombs - 34) while in taking I u p t h e s u b j e c t of t h e coming of r a i n , t h e r e i s j u s t n o m e n t i o n of knowledge. There is a reason for it. Here, by mentioning t h e sending down of rain, i t was tacitly suggested t h a t t h e r a i n to which a r e tied thousands of human benefits is something that comes a t the bidding of Allah alone and that no one else exercises the ultimate control over it. As for t h e essential exclusiveness of i t s knowledge being with Allah, it already stands proved from the very context of the statement. ... Alhamdulillah The Commentary o n S i i r a h LuqmZn Ends here

With the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the All-Merciful Alif Lam MTm. [I] (This) revelation of the Book - wherein there is no doubt - is from the Lord of the worlds. [2] Or, i s i t t h a t t h e y say, "he h a s f a b r i c a t e d it." On t h e contrary, i t is the t r u t h from your Lord, so t h a t you warn a people to whom no warner has come before you; may be they take the right path. [3]

Commentary ,-, At this place, the word: (nadhcr: warner) in: $+ 3 L (to whom no warner has come.. -3)means a rasiil or messenger.The sense is that no messenger had appeared amidst the Quraish of Makkah before the Holy Prophet @. This does not mean that the call of the messengers had just not reached them until that time, because it was clearly said in another & % <! G; j $!j (And there was no community : verse of the Qur7Zn:; without a warner having passed among them - 35:24). In this verse, (i.e. the verse 3524) the word:>& (warner) appears in its general lexical sense, t h a t is, one who calls people towards Allah, whether a messenger or prophet or one of their deputies, hhalifah or the 'Zlim of dtn. So, from this verse, it seems that the call of pure monotheism (tauhrd) had reached all
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communities a n d groups. That is correct i n i t s place a n d certainly the dictate of universal Divine mercy. Commentator Abu HayyZn says that the call to tauhid and %man has never ceased in any time or place or people. And wherever a long time passed after t h e appearance of a prophet, it resulted in the dearth of those having the knowledge of the legacy of prophethood. Thereupon, some new prophet or messenger was sent. This requires that the call to tauhid should have reached the Arab peoples definitely, and much earlier. But, for this it is not necessary that the call should have been brought in by some prophet or messenger in person. I t i s possible t h a t i t may have reached through t h e learned serving a s deputies to the prophetic mission. Therefore, the verses of this Siirah, SErah Yii Sin and others which prove that no nadhir (warner) $ ! had appeared amidst the Quraish of Arabia before the Holy Prophet & must be approached with the necessary consideration t h a t the word: ( n a d h i r ) used t h e r e should mean a prophet a n d messenger i n t h e technical sense denoting that no prophet and messenger had come amidst - even though, the call to tauhid those people before the Holy Prophet and 'irnan may have reached there too through other means. Before the period of i i j fatrah, that is, before the appearance of the Holy Prophet it stands proved about some blessed souls who firmly They adhered to the faith of SayyidnZ IbrZhIm and I s m 3 3 rMUJi believed in the Oneness of Allah and were averse to the worship of and sacrifices for idols.

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Riih-ul-Ma'Zni reports from the MaghZzi of Miisii Ibn 'Uqbah about one such person whose name was Zayd Ibn 'Amr Ibn Nufayl. He had also met the Holy Prophet '$& before he was ordained a s a prophet. But, it was still before his prophethood that he died in the year the Quraish had built the edifice of the Baytullah - and this happened five years prior to his prophethood. About him, MEsZ Ibn 'Uqbah says, 'He used to stop t h e Quraish from indulging in the worship of idols. He opposed the offering of sacrifices in the name of idols as an evil practice and would not eat the meat from animals slaughtered by the Mushriks.' Abii DZwEd TayZlisi has reported from SayyidnZ Sa'Id Ibn Zayd Ibn Amr &,the son of Zayd Ibn 'Amr Ibn Nufayl, one of the celebrated ten i s ) among the noble SahZbah, that he had submitted before the saying: "You already know about my f a t h e r t h a t he Holy Prophet

SZrah As-Sajdah : 32 : 4 - 9

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adhered to pure monotheism and rejected idolatry. Can I, then, pray for his forgiveness?" The Holy Prophet said, "Yes, for him the prayer of forgiveness is permissible. He will, on t h e day of Qiyiimah, rise a s a of his own." (R3-ul-Ma'Zn?) Similarly, Warqah Ibn Nawfal & who was present during the initial period of t h e prophethood a n d t h e revelation of t h e Q u r ' a n w a s a n adherent of pure monotheism (tauhid). He had expressed his resolve to help the Holy Prophet but he died soon after. These examples prove that the people of Arabia were though not totally deprived of the Divine call to faith and monotheism, but that no prophet had appeared amidst them as such. Allah knows best. All three verses cited above carry a n affirmation of the veracity u; the Qur'En and the Prophet of Islam.
Verses 4 - 9

Allah is the One who created the heavens and the earth a n d a l l t h a t is between t h e m i n six days, t h e n He positioned Himself on t h e Throne. Other t h a n Him, there is neither a guardian for you, nor an intercessor. Would you then not observe the advice? [4] He manages (every) matter from the sky to the earth, then it (every matter) will ascend to Him in a day the measure of which is a thousand years according to the way you

SGrah As-Sajdah :32 : 4 - 9
count. [5] That One is the All-knower of t h e unseen a n d t h e seen; t h e All-Mighty, t h e Very-Merciful, [6] w h o made well whatever He created a n d started t h e creation of man from clay. [7] Then He made his progeny from a drop of semen, from a despised water. [B] Then He gave him a proportioned shape a n d breathed into him of His spirit. And He granted you the (power of) hearing a n d the eyes a n d the hearts. Little you give thanks. [9]

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Commentary T h e l e n g t h of the d a y of QiyZmah ,, 4 The text in verse 5 cited above says: it: di'o;l& ;d t%2 (in a day the measure of which is a thousand years according to the way you count - 5). And it appears in a verse of STirah Al-Ma'Zrij: ... (in a day the e x t ~ ~ l which is fifty thousand years - 70:4). of t
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A simple explanation of this is what appears in BayEn-ul-Qur'Zn since this day will be horrendous, people would find it very long. Then, this length will be felt in terms of one's measure of faith and deeds. Big criminals will find t h e day longer while t h e s m a l l ones will find i t comparatively shorter, so much so that the day some would feel to be of a thousand years, to others, it would appear as of fifty thousand years. Tafsir Riih-ul-Ma'Eni reports several other explanations from t h e 'UlamE' a n d SGfiyE'. B u t , a l l t h e s e a r e n o t h i n g b u t conjectures. Something which can be traced back to a proved meaning of the Qur'En or something which can be believed in is just not there. Therefore, the most sound approach in this matter is the same as was taken by the early e l d e r s of I s l a m , t h e S a h Z b a h a n d t h e TZbi'in: T h e y h a d left t h e knowledge of this difference of one and fifty to Allah without explaining it on t h e basis of h u m a n whims a n d , on t h e i r p a r t , they h a d found i t sufficient to say, 'we do not know.' About it, Sayyidna 'AbdullZh Ibn 'AbbZs ~$4said:

They are two days mentioned by Allah Ta'aZ in His Book. Allah Ta'ElZi knows best about them and I dislike to say in the matter of the Book of Allah that which I do not know.

Stlrah As-Sajdah : 32 : 4 - g

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E v e r y t h i n g i s good i n t h i s world. Evil c o m e s t h r o u g h i t s w r o n g use. , * > ,, In verse 7, it was said: '& $&I :"Who made well whatever He created good. The reason is that Allah Ta'ZlZ has made whatever He has created in this world under the dictate of His wisdom, and under the essential consideration of w h a t i s beneficial for t h e whole system. Therefore, everything has a beauty of its own. And the most beautiful ,, , and better than all is the making of man as it was said: 3 Z L Y l k& &T (Surely, We did create man in the best of symmetry - 95:4). L

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,Then t h e r e a r e creations other t h a n m a n t h a t may outwardly be taken a s b a d . I n fact, dogs, pigs, s n a k e s , scorpions a n d wolfs a r e commonly considered bad because they are either poisonous or beastly. But, in terms of the expedient benefits of the world as a whole, none of these is really bad. A proverbial poetic observation in Urdu puts it as:

There is nothing useless in the world There is no one bad in the workshop of nature. The author of Bayiin ul-Qur'Zn has said, 'the text's F,& (whatever) 3 ( includes all substances a n d accidents, t h a t is, also things which have corporeal substance, such as, animals, plants and minerals etc. a s well a s incorporeal things which include even morals and deeds. So much so that morals which are identified a s bad - anger, greed, desire and their likes are not bad in themselves. The bad about them emerges when they are used out of place. If they stay in their proper place, there is nothing bad in them. But, the sense being driven home here relates to the objective of their creation ( t a k w i n )and introduction of these things - for t h a t is nothing but good according to divine wisdom. However, the qualities of 'good' and 'bad' are attached to them in relation to the human acts and their effects on individuals. We can call it one's right or choice employed in doing something. Then, in those terms, everything is not good, in fact, it is circumscribed by a little detail, that is, whatever has not been allowed by Allah Ta'ZlZ is not good, but is, rather bad.' Allah knows best.
al-I;Y\ j 1 , (and started L 4 The sentence that follows next reads: the creation of man from clay - 7). ~ a r l i e iit was said t h a t Allah Ta'ZlZ , has made everything 'good' in this world. Mentioned thereafter was man,
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the most beautiful of all. Then, to give expression to His most perfect power alongside, it was also said that the making of man a s the most superior form of creation was not because the essential ingredient of his creation was most noble, elegant and superior, which may have made it so. I n fact, a s for the essential ingredient that went into his making, it was something a s mean and lowly as the semen. Thereafter, the rest was a masterpiece of His perfect power and profound wisdom. I t was this great combination that took something so low to such a height t h a t man was rated a s the most noble Divine creation.

Verses 10 - 22

Siirah As-Sajdah :32 : 10 - 22

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And they said, "Is it that when we disappear i n t h e e a r t h , shall we really come into a new creation?" Rather they are ones who deny the meeting with their Lord. [ l o ] Say, "The angel of d e a t h who h a s been assigned for you will take you in full, then you will be brought back to your Lord." [ l l ] And (you will wonder) if you see the sinners hanging their heads before their Lord (and saying,) "Our Lord, we have now seen and heard, so send us back, and we will do righteous deeds. Surely, (now) we are believers!' [12] And if We had so willed, We would have given everybody his right way (by force), but the word from Me had come to pass: "I will certainly fill the Jahannam with jinn and human beings together.: [13] So, have a taste, because you had forgotten the meeting of this day of yours. We have forgotten you. And taste the eternal punishment for what you used to do. [14] Only those people believe in Our verses who, when they a r e r e m i n d e d of t h e m , fall i n p r o s t r a t i o n a n d pronounce the purity with praise of their Lord, and they do not wax proud. [15] Their sides remain a p a r t from their beds.They call their Lord with fear and hope, and spend from what We have given to them. [16] So no one knows what delight of eyes has been reserved for them in secret, as a reward of what they used to do. [17] So, can one who is a believer become like one who is a sinner? They cannot become equal. [18] As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, for them t h e r e a r e gardens to dwell, an honorable hospitality, for what they used to do. [I91 And the ones who disobeyed, their abode is the Fire. Whenever they wish to come out from it, they will be turned back to it, and it will be said to them, "Taste the punishment of fire that you used to deny!' [20] And We will certainly make them taste the nearer punishment before the greater punishment, so that they may return. [21] And who is more unjust than

S i r a h As-Sajdah.:32 : 10 - 22 the one who was reminded of the verses of his Lord, then he turned away from them. Surely, We have to take vengeance upon the sinners. [22]

72

,* > In verse 11, it was said: $J 9 3 (Say, "The angel of death who has been assigned for you will take you in full" - 11). In the verse previous to it, t h e deniers of the QiyZmah were warned and a n answer was given to their wondering as to how would they be brought back to life once again after they had died and become dust. In the verse cited above, such people are being reminded, 'Think of your death which is, in itself, a great manifestation of the perfect power of Allah Ta'ZlZ. Your heedlessness and ignorance make you think that one's death comes all by itself, just like that. This is not how it is. I n fact, fixed for your death there is a time with Allah and for this there is a standing system run through angels. SayyidnZ 'Izra'?l ' l l is the foremost among them, t h e one who is t h e master-manager of death throughout t h e world. Whenever and wherever a person is destined to die, it is precisely a t that time that he draws out his soul from his body.' This is what has been stated in t h e cited verse. I t should be noted t h a t uLh (malakulmaut: angel of death) has been mentioned in the singular form. It means Sayyldna 'IzrZ'Tl MI. Please compare it with another verse where it is - . sald: WI 341 (the ones to whom the angels brought death - 16.28). Here, the word: 4-3 (mala'ikah: angels) h a s been used i n t h e plural form. This releases the hint that SayyidnZ 'IzrZ'il does not do this alone. Many angels under him take part in accomplishing this duty.
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Some details about the Exacting of Soul and the Angel of Death

Tafsir authority, Mujahid has said, 'before the angel of death, the whole world is very much like a n open tray before a h u m a n being sprinkled in which there are grains and he picks up whichever he wants.' The same subject has also appeared in a marfi' hadith, that is, traceable to the Holy Prophet $&.(As mentioned by al-Qurtubi in At-tadhkirah) According tq a hadith, once the Holy Prophet $ saw the angel .of death standing behind the head of an AnsZs ~ a h a bon his death bed. He i said, 'make it easy on my 9ahEbi.' The angel of death said, 'Rest assured. I make it easy on every believer,' then, he added, 'just imagine the number of people living in towns or villages and in forests, mountains or waters, I

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SGrah As-Sajdah :32 : 10 - 22

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see every one of them five times a day, therefore, I am directly acquainted with everyone of them, young or old.' Then, he concluded by saying, '0 Muhammad $&, all t h i s I a m telling you about is nothing b u t w h a t happens with the will and command of Allah. Otherwise, if I wanted to take the life of even a mosquito, I do not have the power to do so - unless there comes the very command of Allah Ta'ZlZ that I have to do it.' T h e s o u l of a n i m a l s : Does t h e a n g e l of d e a t h e x a c t t h a t t o o ? From the hadith report mentioned above, it seems that i t is the angel of death who, subject to Divine permission, exacts the soul of a mosquito l has also said this while answering a question. too. Imam MZlik $c; d But, some other reports show that this exacting of the soul is particular to human beings - because of their nobility a n d distinction. As for t h e animals, they will die under Divine will without the medium of the angel.
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(Mentioned by Ibn 'Atiyyah from al-Qurtubi)

The s a m e subject h a s been reported by Abii a s h - S h a i k h , 'Uqaili, ~ a i l a m and others on the authority of SayyidnZ Anas & narrating it i from the Holy Prophet @ . According to this report, the Holy Prophet said, "All animals and insects keep glorifying Allah (for this is their life). When this glorification stops, Allah Ta'ZlZ takes their soul. The death of animals has not been entrusted with the angel of death". Another related hadith has been reported from SayyidnZ Ibn 'Umar .&a. (Mazhari) I t appears i n yet another hadith, 'when Allah Ta'ZlZ handed over to SayyidnZ 'Izra'il the charge of managing the death of everyone in the world, he pleaded, " 0 my Lord, You have put such a service in my charge that the entire race of the children of 'Adam living in the world is going to give m e a b a d n a m e to t h e e x t e n t t h a t every t i m e I a m remembered, I shall be dubbed a s evil." Allah Ta'ZlZ would say, "We have taken care of t h a t by placing some obvious diseases and causes of death in the world due to which everyone will attribute death to these diseases and causes and you will remain safe from their adverse comments." (Al-Qurtubi
in his Tafsir and Al-tadhkirah)

And I m a m al-Baghawi reports on t h e authority of SayyidnZ I b n 'AbbZs & that the Holy Prophet said, "All diseases, and things like pain a n d wound, a r e t h e universal message-bearers of death. They remind every human being of his or her death. After that, when comes

Siirah As-Sajdah :32 : 10 - 22

74

the time of death, the angel of death turns towards the dying person and says, ' 0 servant of God, how many notices have I served on you and how many message-bearers have I sent to you one after the other! All these diseases and accidents delivered at your doors were simply to warn you t h a t you should get ready for death. Now, h e r e I a m after whom no bearer of some message will come to you any more. Now you have got to say yes to t h e order of your Lord necessarily, w h e t h e r willingly or unwillingly." (Mazhari)

Ruling:
T h e angel of d e a t h does not know t h e t i m e of anyone's d e a t h i n advance - until he is ordered to exact the soul of a certain person. (Deduced
by Ahmad and Ibn Abi ad-DunyZ from Ma'mar, Mazhari)

Before approaching verse 16: b p FJ 3pk & d l J p+ j G (Their sides remain apart from their beds. They call their Lord with fear and hope - 16), it should be borne in mind that disbelievers, Mushriks and the deniers of the day of QiyZmah were warned in the verses previous to , ,, ,z it. After that, starting from: 66 ~3 L! (Only those people believe in Our verses - 15) mentioned there are special attributes of sincere believers and the high ranks reserved for them. Pointed to in the cited verse is one such attribute of these believers: They leave the comfort of their beds, rise and get busy with the remembrance of Allah in submission and supplication because, they are apprehensive of His displeasure and punishment while remaining hopeful of His mercy and reward. This very combination of fear a n d hope keeps t h e m returning to Dhikr a n d Dug$ repeatedly, anxiously and animated a t the same time.
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The majority of commentators t a k e s t h e expression denoting t h e leaving of beds and getting busy with Dhikr and Du'a' to mean the SalZh of Tahajjud and NawZfil that are offered after rising from sleep (which is the saying of al-Hasan, Mujahid, E l i k and al-Awza'i). And it is supported by narrations of Hadith a s well. According to a report in the Musnad of Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, an-NasZ'i and others, SayyidnZ MuLZdhIbn Jabal & narrates: 'Once I was in the company of the Holy Prophet & on a journey. One morning during the course of the journey when I was near him, I requested: "YE Rasiilallah,

SZrah As-Sajdah : 32 : 10 - 22

75

tell me to do something which helps me e n t e r Paradise a n d keeps me away from Hell." He said, "You asked for something very difficult. But, for whomsoever Allah Ta'Zlii makes it easy, for him it becomes easy." Then he said, "This is what you should do: Worship Allah and associate no one with Him, and establish Saliih, and pay ZakZh, and keep the fasts of Ramadan, and perform the Hajj of Bgytullah." And then he said, "Here, now let me tell you about the gateways of righteousness: Fasting is a shield (that saves you from punishment). Sadaqah puts off the fire of one's sins - so does one's SalZh in the middle of the night." And after having said that, he recited the cited verse of the Holy Qur'Zn: dd , j ~ p(Their sides remain apart from their beds - 16). >,>'>

Sayyidnii Abii ad-Darda', QatZdah and DahhZk -1 +J ld J d have said t h a t t h i s a t t r i b u t e of sides remaining a p a r t from beds also applies to those who make their SalZh of 'Isha' with Jama'ah a n d then go on to m a k e t h e i r SalZh of F a j r with JamZ'ah. And according to a narration of Sayyidnii Anas & appearing in Tirmidhi with sound chains > of a u t h o r i t y , t h i s verse: @+ >G(Their sides r e m a i n a p a r t ) w a s revealed about people who do not sleep before the SalZh of 'Isha' and keep waiting for the Jama'ah of 'Isha'.
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And according to some other reports, this verse is about people who offer nawEfil between Maghrib and 'Isha' (reported by Muhammad Ibn Nasr). And about this verse, SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas & said: People who would, on waking u p , r e m e m b e r Allah - lying, s i t t i n g a n d on s i d e s - a r e also included therein. Ibn Kathir a n d other Tafsir authorities have said t h a t t h e r e is no contradiction in all these sayings. I t is correct to say t h a t this verse is inclusive of all - while the late night SalZh remains the superior most. BayZn ul-Qur7Znhas also opted for this approach. And S a y y i d a h AsmZ' b i n t Yazid k h l pJ a r r a t e s : T h e Holy n Prophet said, 'when Allah Ta'iilZ will gather everyone from the first to the last, a proclaimer whose call will be heard by the entire creation will call: 'This day everyone on the plains of Resurrection will find out a s to who is really deserving of honor and compliment.' Then, the proclaiming angel will proclaim: '0 people assembled on the plains of Resurrection, let . ,,>', those rise from among you, those whose a t t r i b u t e was: 9 v+ &&

Siirah As-Sajdah :32 : 10 - 22
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c will stand up, though theirfrom theirwill be- small. (Ibn Kathir)these z (Their sides remain apart number beds 16)'. At this call, And people
some words of the same narration say that these people will be sent to Paradise without reckoning. After t h a t , all others will s t a n d a n d face reckoning. (Maghari) In verse 21:

(And We will certainly make them taste the nearer punishment before the greater punishment, so that they may return), the word: j i i ( a d n q has been used i n the sense of 'nearer' and j > Y l + I d 1 (al-'adhi'ib-ul-adni'i) denotes diseases, sufferings a n d calamities of t h e world that are made to befall a lot of people by Allah Ta'ZlZ in order to warn them against their sins. The purpose is to chasten and alert them enough so that they leave off their sins and thus earn their deliverance from the Great Punishment of the Hereafter. Hence, this verse seems to tell u s that all these sufferings, accidents, diseases and pains that inflict sinners in the world are nothing but a sort of mercy for t h e m i n a s much a s t h e y h e l p t h e m g e t o u t of t h e i r heedlessness and save themselves from the punishment of the 'Akhirah. However, for people who t a k e no lesson even from such unwelcome happenings and fail to turn to Allah, for them, this punishment becomes twofold - first, the cash punishment right here in this world and then, the other being the Great Punishment of the Hereafter. As for the hardships of many kinds t h a t come upon prophets a n d men of Allah, t h a t i s a separate matter. These hardships are a trial for them and trials are the source through which their ranks are raised. What is the hallmark of this trial? How do you recognize the quality of their response? If one were to observe such people even under the stress of calamities and hardships, it will be noticed that they have a kind of peace and tranquility emanating from their trust in Allah Ta'SlZ. And i t is Allah who knows best.

There are some crimes the punishment of which comes even within the mortal world much before the Hereafter. The last sentence of the set of verses cited above reads: 391 (! 2
(We have to take vengeance upon the sinners - 22). Obviously, the word: > g l (al-mujrimin: the criminals) includes all kinds of criminals.
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SGrah As-Sajdah :32 : 23 - 30

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Then, t h e word: ! @ (intiqarn: revenge, retribution, r e t u r n ) is also I general. I t may be in the mortal world or in the Hereafter or i n both. But, from some H a d i t h accounts i t a p p e a r s t h a t t h e r e a r e t h r e e s i n s t h e punishment of which is experienced - before the Hereafter - right here in this world too. They are: (1) To strive against what is Right and True publicly with f l a g s a n d slogans; (2) To disobey p a r e n t s ; (3) To help someone unjust or oppressive. (Reported by Ibn Jarlr from Sayyidna Mu'adh Ibn
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Verses 23 - 30

And We did give the Book to MGsZ, so do not be in doubt about receiving it, and We made it a guidance for the children of Isra'Tl. [23] And We appointed leaders from among them who guided (people) under Our command, when they observed patience, and kept firm belief in Our verses. [24] Surely, your Lord will judge between t h e m on t h e Day of J u d g m e n t i n what t h e y used t o differ. [25] Has it not been a source of guidance for them as to how many generations We have destroyed before them who used t o walk in their dwellings? Surely in this t h e r e a r e signs. So, do they not listen? [26] Have

Siirah As-Sajdah :32 : 23 - 30 they not seen that We drive water to the dry land, then We bring forth crops thereby from which their cattle and t h e y t h e m s e l v e s have food? S o , d o t h e y n o t observe? [27]And they say, 'When will this decision take place?" [28] Say, "On the day of decision their belief will not be of any use to disbelievers, nor shall they be given any respite." [29] So, turn away from them and wait. They (too) are waiting. [30]

78

Commentary
The word: d-2 (liqa') in the first verse (23) cited above: 2 $3 3 $ % $$ (SOdo not be i n doubt about receiving it) means meeting. Whose meeting with whom? I n determining it precisely i n the verse, the sayings of commentators differ. According to one of these, the pronoun in: $4 (liqE'i&i) has been taken to be reverting to: &$i(al-hitab: the Book), that is, the Qur'Zn, which releases the sense that 'the way Allah Ta'ZlZ gave the Book to Sayyidna MGsE you too should entertain no doubt about receiving your Book.' This is supported by similar words used about d,,, t h e Qur'an i n a n o t h e r verse: ipw &!j (And i n d e e d you [0 Muhammad] do receive t h e Qur'Zn - An-Naml, 27:6) (BayZnul-Qur'Zn,

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On the other hand, its tafsir from SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs and QatZdah d d J a s been reported a s follows: T h e pronoun in: $$ i h 1 and given (liqa'ihi: read a s 'meeting him') reverts to SayyidnZ MGsZ i n t h i s verse i s t h e news t h a t t h e Holy P r o p h e t @ will b e meeting SayyidnZ MGsZ 85&\ and it has been said that he should have no doubt in the eventuality of his meeting with SayyidnZ MusZ Accordingly, a meeting i n t h e night of al-Mi'rZj (the ascent to t h e heavens) s t a n d s proved on t h e authority of S a h i h AhZdith. Then, also proved i s t h e meeting on the day of QiyZmah.

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And H a s a n a l - B a s r i JL d l explains i t by saying: T h e way was given a Book, then people belied and harassed Sayyidna Miis5 him, the prophet of Islam too should anticipate that h e will have to face similar treatment a t the hands of his people. Therefore, he should not grieve over the pains inflicted by disbelievers. I n fact, h e should take that as the blessed practice of prophets, and endure.

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Two conditions for the leader of any people
In the next verse (24), it was said:

Siirah As-Sajdah :32 : 23 - 30

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(And We appointed leaders from among them who guided (people) under Our command, when they observed patience, and kept firm belief in Our verses). I n t h i s verse, two reasons have been given a s to why religious leadership w a s bestowed on some of t h e s a g e s of B a n i IsrZ'il: (1) Observance of patience and (2) the certitude of Divine words. I n terms of r the Arabic usage, the sense of doing ~ a b or patience is very wide and general. Literally, i t means to tie or to be firm. At this place, sabr means to stay firm on the implementation of Divine injunctions a n d to hold one's desiring self in check against the infringement of what Allah TatZl;i: has declared to be haram (unlawful) or makriih (reprehensible). This covers one's obedience to all injunctions of t h e Shari'ah which i s pragmatic perfection a t its best. The second reason lies in their certitude - they are certain of the Divine words. This includes the initial understanding of the sense of the verses a s well a s the resulting certitude which emerges from such comprehension - both. This is intellectual perfection a t its best. In short, in the sight of Allah Ta'ZlZ, only those who a r e perfect both in ' i l m (knowledge) a n d ' a m a l (practice) a r e w o r t h y of religious leadership. I t is interesting here that perfection i n practice h a s been made to precede perfection i n knowledge while, usually 'ilm (knowledge) precedes'amal (practice). This arrangement releases a strong hint, that is, a knowledge which h a s no corresponding practice with i t i s just not credible in the sight of Allah. Ibn Kathir has reported the following saying of some 'Ulama' in his tafsir of this verse:
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growing of crops t h e r e i n by saying t h a t t h e l a n d receives r a i n , a n d becomes moist and growth-worthy. But, there is no mention of rain in this verse. Instead of that, it has been said that water itself is directed to move aground towards t h e dry land a n d thereby bring forth t h e growth of trees. .In other words, the rain is made to fall on some other land and it is from there that water is directed to move in the form of carrier channels on the ground all the way to the dry land that receives no rain. There is a h i n t embedded here. Some l a n d s a r e so soft t h a t they cannot withstand rains. If regular rains were made to fall there, buildings may collapse or trees may be uprooted. Therefore, nature has made its own arrangements for such lands. As for the rain itself, it is sent on a land which is capable of holding it. After that, water is made to flow from here all the way to such lands which cannot withstand rains - like the land of Egypt. And there are commentators who have pointed out to some lands of Yaman and Syria as being referred to in this verse. (as reported
from Ibn 'Abbas and Al-Hasan)

And as for the correct position, this subject includes all such lands, w i t h t h e i n c l u s i o n of t h e l a n d of Egypt k n o w n for s c a n t y r a i n s particularly. But, water from t h e rains i n t h e Abyssinian territory of Africa comes into Egypt through the Nile bringing with it particles of the indigenous red soil which is good for the growth of crops. Therefore, the people of Egypt, despite t h a t they have no r a i n s i n t h e i r country, do .-, ,, benefit by a supply of new water and soil every year. &_-I h s;G: 1 (So, glorious is Allah, the Best of creators - 23:14). Verse 28 carries a question posed by disbelievers: ~b a , J S j ( A n d i;L; ',, they say, "When will this decision take place?)Here, they a r e referring to t h e victory of believers against disbelievers a s promised by t h e Holy Prophet @ and are wondering about it since they see no traces of this likelihood anywhere around. Instead, they see Muslims a s a group of people, scared, hiding, ' ,,, To answer that, Allah Ta'ala said: $41 1 5 7 3 1+Y +I r, & (Say, 4 'On the day of decision their belief will not be of any use to disbelievers,'29) This amounts to saying: Why are you asking us about the day of our victory while t h a t day is going to be a day of trouble for you? When victory comes t o u s , you would h a v e a l r e a d y b e e n o v e r t a k e n by

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SZrah As-Sajdah :32 : 23 - 30

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punishment. May be, right here i n this world - a s it happened in the battle of Badr - or, in the Hereafter. And when the punishment of Allah seizes someone, then, no profession of faith a t that time, no declaration of '%Ginat that stage is accepted. (as mentioned by Ibn Kathir) There are some others who have interpreted the 'day' in: $ i h ("When will this decision take place?") as the day of QiyZmah. The summarized explanation of this verse in Bayan-ul-Qur'Zn appearing in the original edition of Ma'Zriful-Qur'En is based on t h i s tafsir. ( The translation of a l - f a t h a s 'decision' as given in the text admits both probablities)

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Alhamdulillah The Commentary on SIirah As-Sajdah Ends here.

Siirah Al-AhzZb
Siirah Al-Ahzab is Madani and has 73 verses and 9 sections.

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful,the Very-Merciful

Verses 1- 3

0 Prophet, fear Allah and do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, Wise. [I] And follow w h a t i s revealed t o you f r o m y o u r Lord. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what you do. [2]
And place your trust in Allah, and Allah is enough a s a guardian. [3]

Commentary This is a Madani Stirah. Most of its subjects feature is the loveable persona of the Holy Prophet $$$ and his special place with Allah. There it has been variously emphasized t h a t showing reverence for him is obligatory and that causing any pain to him is haram (forbidden). Then the rest of the subjects taken up in the Sllrah also serve as complements to the ultimate perfection of his station. The background of revelation Some n a r r a t i o n s have been reported outlining t h e c a u s e of t h e revelation of this Stirah:
1. When t h e Holy Prophet

@ came to live in adi in ah

after his

Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 1 - 3

86

hijrah, the environs of the city were inhabited by Jewish tribes, some of whom being Quraizah, Nadh and Banii Qainuqa'. Being the prophet of mercy for all, h e wished and tried that they somehow embrace Islam. I t so happened that a few men from among these Jews started visiting him and posing a s Muslims hypocritically. There was no faith in their heart. The Holy Prophet % took this as sufficient to begin with in the hope that the incidence of some people becoming Muslims would make i t easier for him to invite others. Therefore, he used to welcome everyone from among these people particularly a n d warmly, so much so t h a t even if they happened to do something bad, h e would ignore i t a s a m e a s u r e of religious expediency. I t was because of this event t h a t the initial verses of Siirah al-Ahzab were revealed. (al-Qurtubi) According to another event reported by Ibn Jarir from SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs &,i t was after hijrah that Walid Ibn Mughbah and Shaibah Ibn RabTah from among the kuffir of Makkah came to Madinah. They made a n offer before the Holy Prophet that they would let him have half of the entire wealth of the Quraish of Makkah, if he were to withdraw his claim of prophethood. And the hypocrites and Jews of MadTnah gave him a threat that they would kill him, if h e did not withdraw from his claim and call. Thereupon, these verses were revealed. (R* al-Ma'Zni) The third event has been reported by Tha'alibi and WZhidT with no ascription of authority. This event, according to them, goes back to the time when a no war pact was signed between the pagans of Makkah and the Holy Prophet $& a t Hudaibiyah. It was a t that time that Abii SufyZn, 'Ikrimah, Ibn Abi J a h l and Abii al-A'war Sulami came to MadTnah. There they said to the Holy Prophet @, 'You stop speaking ill of our objects of worship - or simply say that they will also intercede on our behalf and bring benefits to us. If you do just t h a t much, then we, on our part, will forget about you and your Lord - and the dispute will be all over.' and for What they said was very unpleasant for the Holy Prophet said, 'I have all Muslims who wanted to kill them. The Holy Prophet made a peace pact with them, therefore, this cannot be done.' Thereupon, these verses were revealed. (RZh al-Ma'ani) Though, t h e s e reports a r e different but, i n reality, there is no contradiction therein. These events could also be the cause of the revelation of the cited verses.

In these verses, the Holy Prophet % has been asked to do two things: (1) h i i ! (ittaqillah), that is, 'fear Allah.' (2) Y (la tuti'iZ-kafirin), that is, 'do not obey the disbelievers.' The order to fear Allah was given for the reason that killing them was a breach of trust which is haram (forbidden). As for the order of not obeying the disbelievers, it was given for the reason that the demands made by the infidels in all these events were unacceptable. Relevant details follow.

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Explanation of Verses ' * > * In the opening verse of the Siirah: 5 $1 2 CC0 Prophet, fear Allah 1. 1 ( , - I), the wording of the address to the Holy Prophet % is significant. This is a singular honor given and the high regard shown to the Holy Prophet g.Nowhere in the entire Qur'Zn, has he ever been addressed directly by his name - as has been the case in addressing other prophets. They have been addressed as ;3 G ( 0 'Adam), G (0 Niih), I; ( 0 IbrZhim), G 2;:( 0 MiisZ) a n d likewise, repeatedly. Contrary t o t h i s , wherever throughout t h e Qur'En a n address was made to t h e l a s t among t h e prophets, may peace a n d t h e blessings of Allah be upon him, h e was addressed by some title, like nabiyy (prophet) or rasiil (messenger of Allah) etc. The only exception is that of four occasions [3:144; 33:40; 47:2; 48:29] where the very purpose was to declare that he is the rasiil of Allah. It is there only that his blessed name has been mentioned - which was functionally necessary.

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In this address, two orders were given to the Holy Prophet @: (1) That of fearing Allah in the sense that the peace pact entered into with the Mushriks of Makkah should not be contravened. (2) T h a t of not yielding to what is said by the disbelievers, hypocrites and the Jews. At this point, a question may arise. Is it not that the Holy Prophet $ is, after $ ! all, protected from all sins? Now, a breach of solemn pledge is obviously a major sin, a n d similarly, it is also a great s i n t o accept t h e offer of disbelievers and polytheists, quoted under the background of revelation. Since the Holy Prophet was already protected from all kinds of sins, what was the need for such a n order? According to Riih al-Masni, these orders have the sense of instruction to abide by this conduct in future as well - as he did in the event concerned. And the order of: + (ittlaqillah: ! fear Allah) was made to come earlier for the reason that Muslims wanted to kill the Mushriks of Makkah with whom a treaty of peace was already

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in effect. Therefore, the instruction to avoid a breach of pledge was made to precede through the expression: hi (ittaqillah: fear Allah). As for the instruction of not yielding to the kuffir and mushrikbz, since no one had even wanted to do that, it was mentioned later.

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And some respected commentators have said t h a t , i n t h i s verse, though the address is to the Holy Prophet &, but the purpose is to warn the Muslim community a t large. As for him, h e was ma'siim, t h a t is, protected i n t h e s e n s e t h a t t h e r e w a s just no probability of t h e contravention of Divine injunctions from him. But, t h e law is for the whole community. So, a corresponding mode was employed to make the community hear it and become alerted, and the address was made to the Holy Prophet which enhanced the importance of the order significantly by suggesting: When, even the rasiil of Allah is t h e addressee of t h e order, how can any individual of the Muslim community remain exempted from it? And Ibn KathIr has said: In this verse, the real purpose of prohibiting the obedience of the disbelievers is that the Holy Prophet & should not consult with them or let them have the opportunity of sitting with him frequently, because such consultation or mutual interaction generally becomes the cause of ending up in a disposition favouring the acceptance of what they proposed. Though, there was no probability that the Holy Prophet @ would do what they asked him to do, still, he was stopped from m a i n t a i n i n g s u c h liaison with t h e m a n d from h a v i n g t h e m participate in his consultations. It is this idea that has been expressed through the word: LL! (ita'ah: obedience, submission or listening to and doing the bidding of someone), because such consultations and mutual interaction usually become the cause of ultimate acceptance. So, what has really been done here is that he has been prohibited from adopting the ways that could lead to such 'itiia'ah or obedience. As for obedience itself, there was no probability that he would ever do that. Now the second question that may arise here is that according to this verse, the disbelievers and the hypocrites were expected to propose things counter to the true Islamic position. To the extent of open disbelievers, such proposals coming from them were not improbable, a n d warning -gainst yielding to them is understandable.But, if the hypocrites said anything counter to Islam, they would no longer remain hypocrites,

because in that case they would become open disbelievers. What, then, was the need to mention them separately? The answer is t h a t it is possible that although the hypocrites may not have said anything against Islam very openly, but that they may have said something in support of other disbelievers. And if t h e event featuring t h e hypocrites, described u n d e r t h e background of revelation, is taken to be the cause of revelation, it simply leaves no difficulty or vagueness behind - because, in terms of this event, the Holy Prophet has simply been prohibited from dealing with Jews calling themselves Muslims in a spirit of extra civility and accommodation. Later, towards the end of this verse, by saying: d& $? d 51 - l (Surely, Allah is All- Knowing, Wise - I), stated there is the wisdom of the order given immediately earlier - that is, 'fear Allah and do not obey the disbelievers and hypocrites.' The reason is that Allah Ta'ZlZ, who knows the consequences of everything, is most wise, and fully aware of what is better for His servants. This was said to counter some of the things put forth by t h e disbelievers or hypocrites which could generate for them certain advantages of lesser tension and increased mutual tolerance. But, from t h i s Allah Ta'ZlZ prohibited him by declaring t h a t even t h i s tolerance of such people was counter to what was expedient under the circumstances and that such a policy was not going to end well. What is said in verse 2: I > i cb, 5 3 h d @ i! ..&? E.') (And follow w h a t is revealed to you from your Lord. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what you do.) is actually a complement of the first order. I t means: Do not be beguiled or taken i n by w h a t t h e disbelievers a n d hypocrites say and do not agree or yield to it. Instead of all that, whatever you have been told by Allah through wahy (revelation) remains the only thing you a n d your companions should follow. Since, t h e noble companions & a n d Muslims a t large a r e included under this address, , , , therefore, by saying: d+k; cb, (what you do) in the plural form a t the end, everyone was alerted.
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Once again, the last statement: %j &$ $ ; & (And place Your t r u s t i n Allah a n d Allah is enough a s a guardian- 3) i s also a complement of the same order. Here it is being said: As for your approach, just pay no heed to w h a t they say and, in order to succeed i n your

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objective, you should trust no one but Allah for He, in Himself and by Himself, is the ultimate doer, maker and fixer of all matters and things. With Him there, you do not need to acquiesce in the opinion of anyone.
Ruling The cited verse proves that, in religious matters, even consulting with disbelievers is not permissible. I n other matters relating to technical or functional experience, there is no h a r m in doing so. And Allah knows best. Verses 4 - 5

Allah h a s not made for any man two h e a r t s i n his (chest) cavity, nor did he make your wives whom you subjected to qihiir, your mothers, nor did he make your adopted sons your (real) sons. That is (merely) a word uttered by your mouths. And Allah says the truth and He shows the (right) way. [4] Call them by (the name of) their (real) fathers; It is more equitable in the sight of Allah. And if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brothers in faith and your friends. And there is no sin on you in the mistake you make, but in that which you do with intention of your heart and Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [ 5 ] Commentary asking him Previous verses carried instructions to the Holy Prophet not to act upon their advice and not to be cajoled into what they wanted to achieve. I n t h e cited verses, t h e r e is a refutation of t h r e e customs prevailing among disbelievers as well a s of t5eir false notions.

Zhibiyyah, Arabs used to say about a person who was smarter than others that he had two hearts in his chest cage. (2) Then they h a d a custom about their wives following which a person would declare his wife to be like the back of his mother, or some other part of the body, and go on to say, 'you are, for me, like the back of my mother.' This, in their usage, was called "ZihZr." I t is a derivation from: Zahr, which means 'back'. They thought that if a person who had done "ZihZr" with his wife, she becomes harEm (unlawful) to him for ever.

(1) During

(3) And then they had another custom under which one person would make the son of another his so-called or adopted son and who so would take a son in that manner, the boy would become known as 'his' son and would be addressed as such. According to their practice, this so-called or adopted son used to be recognized in all rules and regulations as a 'real' son. For instance, he would be regarded as a sharer even in inheritance, like a real offspring along with the children from his loins. Then, they would also regard the marriage relations of the so-called or adopted son as falling under the standard rule whereby the marriage with a category of certain women is unlawful. For example, as marriage with the wife of one's real son remains unlawful even after he has divorced her, they also took the divorced wife of the so-called or adopted son to be unlawful for that person.
Since the first of the three notions of the period of JEhiliyyah were not tied u p with religious belief or conduct, therefore, t h e Shari'ah of IslZm had no need to refute it. To determine whether there is just the one heart inside the chest or, may be, there are two as well was simply a case of anatomical inquiry. That it was obviously false was known to everyone. Therefore, most likely, the matter of its refutation was also introduced as a prologue to the other two issues and it was said: The way false is the saying of the people of Jahiliyyah - that 'someone could have two hearts in his chest', the falsity of which is known to everyone - similarly, false are their notions in t h e matters of ZihEr (falsely declaring one's wife unlawful to him like his mother) and adoption of sons. As for the injunctions governing the two issues of ZihEr and adopted son, these a r e among the social and familial issues t h a t have a great importance in Islam - to the extent that even their subsidiary details have

been given i n the Qur'an by Allah Ta'ZlZ Himself. unlike other matters, this has not been left a t the declaration of principles only with its detailed enunciation entrusted with the Holy Prophet @. Regarding both these issues, t h e people of Jahiliyyah, following their baseless whims, h a d a bunch of self-made laws relating to t h e lawful a n d t h e unlawful, t h e permissible and the impermissible. I t was the duty of the True Religion t h a t i t should refute these false notions a n d make t h e t r u t h manifest. ;js , , $; I $ & L j It means: 'You are Therefore, it was said: wrong in thinking that, should someone call his wife the equal or like of his mother, the wife does not go on to become unlawful for him for ever like his real mother. J u s t because you say so, a wife does not become a mother, in reality. Your mother is but she who gave birth to you.' Now, a t least, the notion of the people of JZhiliyyah that ZihZr makes one's wife unlawful for ever is refuted by this verse. What happens next? Does saying so bring about any legal effect? The standing injunction in this connection appears in SErah al-Mujzdalah [58:2-41 where saying so has been called a sin and abstention from it obligatory. And it is provided there that he who has made such a declaration should offer a kaffirah (expiation) of having done gihar after which having intercourse with his wife becomes lawful for him. The details of this issue will appear in the Commentary on Stirah al-MujZdalah (Ma'ariful-Qur'En, Volume VIII).

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21

The second issue was that of the rnutabanna, i.e adopted son. About , , -, that, it was said: F G G ~ j.Z L j (nor did he make your adopted sons your (real) sons - 4). The word: &;i (adCiyZ') the plural of: is (da'iyy) which means a so-called son. The sense is that the way no man has two hearts inside him and the way by likening one's wife to one's mother, the wife does not become the mother - similarly, the so-called son does not become your real son. I n other words, neither will h e be entitled to a share in inheritance with other sons, nor the precepts of the unlawfulness of marriage will apply to him. For example, the way the divorced wife of a real son is unlawful for his father for ever, t h e divorced wife of a n adopted son is not unlawful for his so-called father. Since this last matter affects many other matters, therefore, it was complimented by another injunction, that is, even a n adopted son should be attributed to his real father, and not to the person who has adopted him - because, this spells out the danger of misgiving and confusion creeping in many matters.

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T h e r e i s a h a d i t h from SayyidnZ I b n ' U m a r & a p p e a r i n g i n al-BukhZri, Muslim a n d others in which i t has deen said: 'Before the revelation of this verse, we used to call Zayd Ibn HZrithah by the name of Zayd Ibn Muhammad (because the Holy Prophet $ had taken him in as $ his m u t a b a n n z , adopted son). After the revelation of t h i s verse, we abandoned this practice.'

Ruling This tells us about many people who call the children of others as 'son' which, if because of simple affection, not because of declaring him a n adopted son or a mutabannE , then, this would though be permissible, still, i t i s not t h e b e t t e r choice, because i t looks like violating t h e prohibition, a t least in appearance. (As in R$ al-Ma'ani from al-Khiifaji Ala al-~aidZwi)
And this is the same matter which, by throwing the Quraish of Arabia into deception, led them to commit a sin of terribly serious proportions to the extent that they started blaming the Holy Prophet by saying that he had married the divorced wife of his 'son' ,while in fact, he was not his son, b u t only a m u t a b a n n a (adopted son) - something t h a t will be mentioned in this very SGrah a little later.

Verse 6

The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves a n d his wives a r e t h e i r mothers. And those having mutual kinship are closer to one another (for the purpose of inheritance) than (other) believers and emigrants according to the Book of Allah, unless you do some good to your friends (by making a will in their favour). This h a d been w r i t t e n i n t h e Book ( t h e Preserved Tablet). [6]

Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 6

94

Commentary As stated earlier, most of the subjects in SGrah al-AhzZb relate to the reverence of the Holy Prophet & and to the unlawfulness of causing pain to him. After t h e mention of pains caused to him by disbelievers a n d hypocrites a t the beginning of the SErah, some instructions were given to the Holy Prophet % following which three customs of the Jahiliyyah were refuted. Out of these, the last custom related to such a pain inflicted on the Holy Prophet #& because the disbelievers h a d - a t t h e time of t h e marriage of Sayyidah Zainab & d > the divorced wife of SayyidnZ l , Zayd &,and on the basis of their pagan custom of rnutabanna - blamed the Holy Prophet of having married the divorced wife of his 'son.' Thus, from t h e beginning of the Siirah up to t h i s point, t h e subject concerned the pain caused to the Holy Prophet @. I n the present verse (6), it has been stated that the reverence of and the obedience to the Holy Prophet @ more than the whole creation is wtijib (necessary in the degree of obligation)

The meaning of the expression:"The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves" mentioned by MaulSnZ Thanav; is based on the saying of Ibn 'Atiyyah and others which has been opted for by al-Qurtubi and most commentators. According to it, every Muslim is duty-bound to obey and implement the command of the Holy Prophet more than the command of his parents. If one's parents oppose any command of the Holy Prophet &!$, their obedience in that matter is not permissible. Similarly, the implementation of his command takes precedence even over the pulls of one's own desiring self. In a hadith of SayyidnZ AbE Hurairah .&& appearing in the SahIh of al-BukhZri and others, the Holy Prophet @ has been reported to have said:

There is no such believer for whom I am not the closest of all people in this world and in the world to come. Read if you wish (this verse of the Qur'Zn to confirm): ... (The Prophet is ...). The sense of t h e s t a t e m e n t is t h a t his affection for every Muslim exceeds t h e affection of t h e whole world and, a s such, t h e necessary

outcome has to be no other but that every believer holds him dearer than anyone else - which is something also said in another hadith: , .,I f\. ,., , s ,-,,), J , > > , , , > , , ' e 4 ,?4,,?41;&4!-1d51&4&1*3~ J None of you can become a believer until I become the dearest one to him, dearer than his father, and his son, and the whole world full of peopleland the rest of the human beings, all of them. (Al-BukhZ6 and Muslim - Mazhari)
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Said in the following sentence of the verse was: w-bl eljjij (and his wives are your mothers). Here, the reference to the blessed wives of the Holy Prophet $$! a s mothers of t h e Muslim community means being $ mothers in terms of their respect and honor. Injunctions relating to the mother and her children, and those of the forbiddance of marriage, and of the absence of hijab d u e to having t h e s t a t u s of a mahram, a n d of holding a share in the inheritance are injunctions which have nothing to do with i t - a s made explicit towards t h e end of t h e verse. As for t h e forbiddance of t h e marriage of t h e blessed wives with anyone in the Muslim community, this has been declared in a separate verse. Therefore, it is not necessary that even this forbiddance of marriage may be for the reason of being mothers.

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Ruling The cited verse proves that the least breach of etiquette in the case of anyone of the blessed wives hi p is forbidden for two reasons: (1) , That they are the mothers of the Muslim community and (2) also because any pain caused to them would cause pain to the Holy Prophet - which is forbidden in a far too extreme a degree.
The literal sense of t h e expression: l i ; ~ l (ulu '1-arhcm) i n the ljj next sentence of the verse: & J$ && t i ; ; ~ l 1jjij (And those having ' mutual kinship are closer to one another (for the purpose of inheritance) than (other) believers and emigrants) 'covers all relatives, whether they are those whom Muslim jurists call by the name of: d ' ('asbat: agnates) G or those who are juxtaposed as 'ulu '1-arhEmMagainst vCht "'qbat"in the light of a particular terminology. This terminology used by Muslim jurists, a later day product, is not what is meant here i n the Holy Qur'iin.
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Thus, it means t h a t t h e relationship of the revered rasiil a n d his

blessed wives with the believers of the community is, though of a degree which precedes even that of a mother and father but, on the injunctions relating to the distribution of inheritance, this has simply no bearing. This inheritance, i n fact, will be distributed only on t h e basis of lineal a n d closer relationships. I n the early stage of Islam, entitlement to shares in the inheritance was based on spiritual relationship. Later on, i t was abrogated in favour of closeness of relationships which h a s been announced by t h e noble Qur'Zn itself. This entire detail of t h e abrogating a n d t h e abrogated verses has appeared in Stirah al-AnGl (Ma'ariful-Qur'an, Volume IV). And in ' >' , that context, the mention of: 2 (and the emigrants) after: &+I (and the believers) is there to highlight their distinction. And some e a r l y commentators have s a i d t h a t , a t t h i s place, t h e and the Emigrants (MuhGjirin) Believers ('al-mu'minin') mean the A n ~ i i r mean t h e Q u r a i s h . When placed i n contrast with t h e MuhEjirin, i t becomes clear t h a t t h e word: 'al-mu'minin' ( t h e believers) i s for t h e AnsEr. I n t h a t case, t h i s verse will be a n abrogator of t h e r u l e of 4;) inheritance on the basis of the Hijrah (i&4 ~ ~ ~ 1because, during the early stage of Hijrah, the Holy Prophet had, by establishing brotherly relations between the MuhEjirin and the Ansar, ordered t h a t they will also inherit from each other. This verse abrogated that rule of 'inheritance by virtue of Hijrah' (Qurtubl) Soon thereafter, it was stated: i j F $ ~iqji J ! j;L:;i (unless you do '$ some good to your friends (by making a will i n their favour - 6). I n other words, this means that inheritance a s such will be received only on the basis of relationship - anyone unrelated will not be a n inheritor - but, there may be people with whom you relate as your brothers in faith. If you wish to give them something, you have the right to do SO.YOUcould do so within your lifetime and give it to them a s a gift, and it is also possible to make a will in their favour so that they get it after your death.

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Verses 7 - 8

And (recall) when We took from the prophets their covenant, and from you and from Niih and IbrZhTm and MGsE and 'ha, the son of Maryam. And We did take from them a firm covenant, [7] so that He (Allah) may ask the truthful about their truth. And He has prepared a painful punishment for the disbelievers. [8] Commentary

At the beginning of the SGrah, by saying: >i i ;' : , the Holy Prophet @ was asked to follow the Divine revelation sent to him. Then, in the previous verse: &-& ~ j i , the believers have been obligated with the implementation of the orders of the recipient of the revelation. I t is to further confirm and emphasize these very two things that, in the p r e ~ m t two verses as well, the same two subjects have been reiterated, that is, the recipient of t h e revelation h a s been obligated to follow t h e revelation received by him from Allah and the non-recipient of the revelation has been obligated to follow the recipient of the revelation.

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The Covenant of the Prophets

The covenant taken from the blessed prophets, according to the cited verse, is in addition to the universal pledge taken from the entire creation as it appears in a saying of the Holy Prophet reported by Imam &mad:

"It was the prophets only from whom the covenant of messenger-ship and prophethood was taken, and this is the meaning of what Allah Ta'ZlZ has said:....(And when We took from the prophets their covenant ...to the end of the verse). This pledge from t h e prophets was t h e pledge of discharging t h e duties of prophethood and messenger-ship and of attesting to the veracity of each other and of being mutually helpful - as Ibn ~ a r i rIbn Abi HZtim , and others have reported from Sayyidna QatZdah &. And according to one narration, it was also included i n this pledge of the prophets that they should also proclaim t h a t "Sayyidna Muhammad al-MustafZ is the messenger of Allah, and the last of the prophets. After him, there will be ,,, z , , > z + s , , no prophet ['o+ 2 Y $1 Jy, +]
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And this pledge from prophets was also taken in eternity (Azal) a t the (alastu bi-rabbikum: Am 1 not same time when the pledge of: your Lord?) was taken from the created a t large. (R* al-Ma'Enl and Mazhari)

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After having generally mentioned prophets, peace be on them all, before saying: F$ jj &j (and from you and from Niib... up to the end of t h e verse), five of t h e m were particularly named on t h e basis of t h e unique distinction they have among the group of prophets. Then, even within those, i t was by using the word: & (minka: from you) that the mention of t h e Holy Prophet $& was made to precede t h a t of others although, his appearance i n t h i s world is l a t e r t h a n all of them. T h e reason for this has been given in Hadithitself:

'I am the first human being in the creation and the last of them in being sent (with the prophetic mission).' (Reported by Ibn Sa'd and Abii Nu'aim in Al-Hilyah from Maisirah al-Mafjar and At-TabarZniin al-Kabir from Ibn 'AbbZs & - Mazhari)

Verses 9 - 27

Siirah al-AbzZb : 33 : 9 - 27

100

0 those who believe,'" remember Allah's favour to you,
when the forces (of the infidels) came upon you, and We sent upon them a wind, and the forces (of angels) you did not see. And Allah is watchful of what you do. [g] (Recall) when they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when the eyes were distracted and the hearts reached the throats, and you were thinking about Allah all sorts of thoughts. [lo] At that occasion, the believers were put to a trial and were shaken with a violent convulsion. [11] And (remember) when t h e hypocrites and those having malady in their hearts were saying, "Allah and His messenger did not promise us but deceitfully; [12] and when a group of them said, "0people of Yathrib (Madinah), there is no place for you t o stay; so go back." And a group of them was seeking permission (to leave) from the prophet, saying, "In fact our homes are vulnerable," while they were not vulnerable; they wanted nothing but to escape. 1 3 And 11 if i t (MadTnah) is entered (by t h e enemy, i n t h e i r presence,) from all its sides and they are asked (to join) the mischief, they would readily commit it, and would not remain in them (their homes) but for a s h o r t while(2) [14] despite t h a t they had already made a covenant with Allah t h a t they would not t u r n their backs; and a covenant with Allah has to be answered for. [151(~) (1) These verses refer to the battle of Ahzab, also known as 'the battle of Khandaq' in
which different tribes of Arabia, led by the Quraish invaded upon M a d h a h , and the Holy Prophet defended the city by digging a trench. (2). I t means that although they are escaping from the battle - field on the pretext that their homes are not safe, yet if the forces of the enemy invite them to join the battle against Muslims, after their having entered the city from all sides, they would easily join them in their mischief against Muslims, and would no more remain in their homes.It shows that their pretext is sham.
(3). That is, everyone who enters into a covenant with Allah, has to answer how

he has fulfilled it.

Say, "Flight will never be of any use to you, if you flee from death o r killing, a n d even then you will not be let t o enjoy (life) b u t for a little while." [16] Say, 'Who is t h e r e t o p r o t e c t you from Allah, if He i n t e n d s evil t o you, o r (who is t h e r e t o p r e v e n t Him) if He i n t e n d s mercy for you?" And beside Allah, they will not find for themselves either a friend o r a helper. [17] Allah does know t h e ones from among you who prevent (others from joining t h e battle) a n d those who say t o their brothers, "Come along with us," a n d who d o not come t o t h e battle but for a little while, [18] (and t h a t too) with a greed against you (i.e. t o extract a s h a r e of spoils f r o m you). B u t w h e n f e a r comes, you will s e e t h e m looking t o w a r d s you, rolling t h e i r eyes, like t h e one who gets faint because of death. Then once fear is gone, t h e y assail you with s h a r p tongues,in g r e e d f o r t h e good (i.e. t h e wealth acquired a s spopils).(*) These people d i d n o t a c c e p t f a i t h (in r e a l t e r m s ) , t h e r e f o r e Allah has nullified their acts.(5)And all this is s o easy for Allah. [19] They think t h a t the coalition forces have not(yet) gone. And s h o u l d t h e coalition f o r c e s come (again), t h e y would like t o b e living i n c o u n t r y s i d e among the Bedouins, asking (others) about your news. And even if they were to remain among you, they would not fight, b u t a little. [20] There is indeed a good model for you i n the Messenger of Allah - for t h e one who has hope i n Allah a n d t h e Last Day, a n d remembers Allah profusely. [21]@)
(4). This verse has unveiled cowardice of the hypocrites on the one hand, and

their greed for wealth on the other. The sense is that they are so coward that when an attack from the enemy is apprehended, they are frightened like a person who becomes faint in fear of death. But when the enemy is driven away by the Muslims, and the spoils of war are distributed, they come forward assailing the Muslims with their sharp tongues and claiming that the victory is achieved with their help, and therefore they deserve a share in the spoils. (5). It means that virtuous acts deserve reward in the Hereafter only when they are accompanied by true faith in Allah, and since it has become evident that these hypocrites do not have true faith, even their virtuous acts will not be of any use to them in the Hereafter iind will remain null and void. (6). In the context of the battle of Ahzab, this verse is initially meant to remind the hypocrites that they should have followed the example of the Holy Prophet % who stood firm in the battle,but according to the unique style of the Holy Qur'an, the direction is given in generic terms to lay down a universal rule that the Muslims should follow the examples set by the Holy Prophet @ in all matters of life.

And when the believers saw the coalition forces, they s a i d , "This i s w h a t Allah a n d His messenger h a d promised us, and Allah and His messenger had told the t r u t h , " And i t only i n c r e a s e d t h e m i n f a i t h a n d submission. [22] Among the believers, there are men who came true to the covenant they had with Allah. So, some of them have fulfilled their vows( by sacrificing their lives in the way of Allah), and some of them are (still) waiting, a n d they did not change (their commitment) in the least. [23] (') (All this happened) so that Allah may give r e w a r d t o t h e t r u t h f u l for .their truthfulness, and punish t h e hypocrites, if He so wills, or accept their repentance. Surely, Allah is Most-Forgiving, VeryMerciful. [24] And Allah h a s turned back the disbelievers with all their rage, having achieved no good. And Allah sufficed the believers against fighting. (s) And Allah is Powerful, Mighty. [25] And He has brought those of the people of t h e Book who h a d backed them, down from t h e i r fortresses, and cast awe into their hearts, so as to make you kill some of them and take others as captives. [26] And He let you inherit their land and their homes and their wealth, and a land you have not trodden (so far). And Allah is Powerful to do any thing. 1271 (9)
(7). T h i s verse a d m i r e s those companions of t h e Holy Prophet $$ who h a d not

participated in the battle of Badr due to some valid excuses, and had vowed that whenever t h e next battle would come to happen,they would offer their lives in defence of faith.Then,some of them,like SayyidnZ 'Anas Ibn Nadr & and Mu+'ab Ibn 'Umair & fulfilled their vows by sacrificing their lives in the battle of 'Uhud, while some others, like SayyidnZ 'Uthman a n d Talhah & remained alive, b u t eagerly waiting for having the honor of being martyred in the way of Allah.
(8). I t means that Allah made a divine arrangement by sending a violent wind to the coalition forces which compelled them to go back, and thus the Muslims did not have to indulge i n a regular battle, except to t h e extent of some individual encounters.
(9). These two verses refer to Banii qurayzah, the Jewish tribe who had entered into a

treaty with the Muslims not to fight against them, and not to support the enemies of the Muslims. But a t the time of The battle of Ahziib, they violated the terms of t h e t r e a t y a n d s u p p o r t e d t h e coalition forces. Even earlier, t h e y h a d been constantly conspiring against t h e Muslims to a n intolerable extent. After t h e battle of AhzZb w a s over, t h e Holy Prophet besieged the fortress of Banii qurayzah, and finally, they had to surrender, and most of their men were killed, and the women and children were made captives. This event has been referred to in these verses.At the same time, Allah Ta'ZlZ has given a good news to the Muslims that they would conquer some other lands which they had not entered before.The words," and a land you have not trodden" refer to such future victories, especially to the conquest of Khyber that followed within a few years after the battle of Ahzab.

Commentary Identified in t h e previous verses was the great station of the Holy prophet % along with the instruction to Muslims that they should follow and obey him totally a n d perfectly. Congruent to this, these two full of the Qur'Zn have been revealed about the event of the battle of al-Ah~Zb. Mentioned therein is the simultaneous attack of the combined forces of many groups of disbelievers and polytheists, their threatening encirclement, the subsequent blessings bestowed on Muslims by Allah Ta'ZlZ and the several miracles that issued forth a t the hands of the Holy Prophet @. Then, very much a s a corollary to this, t h e r e a r e many instructions and injunctions relating to different departments of life. I t is because of these very priceless instructions that great commentators have written about the details of the event of AhzZb with considered details a t this place, particularly al-Qurtubi, Mazhari and others. Therefore, some details of t h e event of Ahzab along with t h e instructions a r e being written here. Most of it has been taken from al-Qurtubi and MazharE That which has been taken from some other book carries the necessary reference.

THE EVENT OF THE BATTLE OF AL-AHZAB
The word: +I;-Yl (al-ahzab) is the plural form of: ~k (hizb) which means party or group. I n this battle, the combined forces of different groups of disbelievers had, under a pact to eliminate Muslims, mounted a n attack on Madinah. Therefore, this battle h a s been named a s the battle of al-AhzZb. And since, in this battle, a trench was also dug under the orders of t h e Holy Prophet across t h e line of enemy attack, therefore, this battle is also called the battle of the Trench (Khandaq). The battle of Banii Quraizah too - which took place immediately after the battle of al-AhzZb and finds mention in the cited verses a s well - that too, was actually a part of the battle of al-&zZb, as it would appear through the details of this event.
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I n t h e y e a r only next t o t h e year t h e Holy P r o p h e t graced Madhah after migrating from Makkah al-Mukarramah, the event of the battle of Badr came to pass. In the third year, came the battle of Uhud. In the fourth year, it was this battle of al-AhzZb. Some narrations say that this event came to pass in the fifth year. Nevertheless, the attacks of the

disbelievers against Muslims had been continuing since the hijrah up to this time without any break. The attack on the occasion of the battle of al-AhzZb was made with full power, determination and mutual pledge. Therefore, this battle was the severest on the Holy Prophet @ and the noble SahZbah as compared with other battles - because, the count of the attacking confederate forces of the disbelievers has been given as twelve to fifteen thousand. O n t h e other side, t h e r e were Muslims, t h r e e thousand in all, and those too very ill-equipped. Then, the time was hard winter. The Qur'Zn describes the horrible severity of this event by saying , ,'" things like: ;L$Y~ 41; eyes were distracted - 33:10), $Ah ++il (the (and hearts reached the throats - 33:lO) and il$$ $ 1,3il$& ~, (they were shaken with a violent convulsion - 33:11).

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But, the way this time was the hardest on Muslims, they were also compensated a t its best by Allah Ta'ZlZ. It was with His help and support that the matter ended in favour of Muslims in the form of such a great success and victory that broke the back of all hostile groups of Mushriks, Jews and Hypocrites leaving them just about incapable of even thinking of some attack against Muslims in the future. From that angle, this battle was the last armed confrontation between kufr and Islam - fought on the plains of al-Madinah al-Munawwarah i n t h e fourth or fifth year of hijrah. The event began when about twenty men from the Jewish tribe of Ban; Nadk and the tribe of AbG Wa'il who were morbidly hostile to the Holy Prophet and Muslims a t large reached Makkah al-Mukarramah. They met with Quraish chiefs and roused them to start a war against Muslims. The Quraish chiefs were under the impression t h a t the way Muslims took their idol-worship to be kufr (disbelief, infidelity) and for which reason they regarded their religion a s ill-founded, t h e Jews too would be no different and their thinking would be similar to it. If so, how could they hope for a common ground of unity from them? Therefore, these chiefs asked the Jews, "You people know that there is difference of religion a n d creed between us a n d Muhammad And you a r e t h e people of the Book and the people of learning. First of all, you tell us as to which religion is better in your sight, ours or theirs?"

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A lie is no novelty in the arena of politics!
The reply given by these Jews was totally contrary to their knowledge

and conscience. To them, they said, "Your religion is b e t t e r t h a n t h e religion of M u h a m m a d . " Thereupon, t h e infidels of M a k k a h were somewhat satisfied. Still, the matter was taken to a future demonstration of intent. I t was decided that these twenty visitors joined by fifty men from among the Quraish chiefs would go to al-Masjid al-Haram, cling to the walls of t h e Baytullah by their chests a n d make a solemn pledge before Allah that they would continue fighting against Muhammad &$to their last man.

A marvel of the forbearance and magnanimity of Allah Taf-all-al!
Here are the enemies of Allah in the House of Allah clinging to the walls of the Ka'abah of Allah making a compact to fight a war against His RasGl - a n d t h e n r e t u r n satisfied with a new passion for war! This is unique manifestation of t h e forbearance a n d magnanimity of Allah Ta'ZlE. Then, the ultimate end of this compact is not too far to find. I t will appear towards the end of the narrative in that all of them bolted from this battle. These Jews, after having made a pact with the Quraish of Makkah, reached the tribe of Ghitfiin, a great warring tribe of Arabia. They told them that they and the Quraish of Makkah were in full agreement with the plan to eliminate the spreaders of this new religion (Islam) once for all with their combined power. They asked them too to join hands with them in that pact. Then, they also offered them a bribe. They promised to give them the total produce of dates in one year in Khaibar - according to some narrations, they promised the half of it to the tribe of GhitfZn. 'Uyaiynah , Ibn H i ~ nthe chief of the tribe of GhitGn, approved of his participation in the pact under this condition. Thus, they too became a part of the war effort. Then, in accordance with the mutual pact, the Quraish armed force of four thousand men, three hundred horses and war supplies laden on one thousand camels came out of Makkah under the command of AbE SufyZn and stopped a t Marr a?-ZahrZn. Here, all tribes of Aslam, Ashja', Banti Murrah, BanG Kinanah, FazZrah and Ghitfiin joined them. Their total number has been reported in some narrations a s ten thousand, a s twelve thousand in some others and as fifteen thousand in still other.

The most lethal attack on Madinah
The armed force that fought against Muslims in the battle of Badr

was that of one thousand men. Then, the army that attacked in the battle of Uhud had three thousand men. This time, the numerical strength of the attacking forces was greater than it was any time before that - the equipment and the combined power of the Arab and Jewish tribes were also to be counted a s additional factors.

Three ingredients of Muslim war effort
When the information about this aggressive united front reached the the very first verbal reaction came out from him in the Holy Prophet words:

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Allah is all-sufficient for us, and the best One to trust in - 3:173. After that, he assembled opinion leaders from among the Emigrants and Helpers together and went into consultation with them. Although, the blessed recipient of Wahy (revelation) really needs no consultation for he acts directly with the permission of Allah Ta'ZlZ. But, there were two advantages in having such consultation: (I) To initiate a n d establish the Sunnah (practice) of consultation in the Muslim community and (2) to revive m u t u a l liaison a n d unity i n the h e a r t s of t h e believers a n d to persuade them to the need of helping and supporting each other. After t h a t , they talked about matters of defence and t h e physical resources needed in fighting a war. Present among the group of consultants there was SayyidnZ SalmZn al-FZrisi & who had recently freed himself from the artificially imposed slavery of a Jew and had devoted himself to the service of Islam. He advised that in his country, the Persian kings have used trenches they arranged to be dug across the enemy line of attack. This had always helped stop the enemy. Accepting his advice, the Holy Prophet % ordered that trenches be dug - and he himself participated with others doing that.

The digging of trenches
I t was decided to dig this trench on the entire passage way behind the mount of Sal' which could be used by the enemy to come into Madinah from t h e north. T h e ground marking of t h e length a n d width of t h i s trench was personally drawn by the Holy Prophet Beginning from Shaikhayn, this trench came as far as the western corner of the mount of Sal' and later it was extended to the intersection of the valleys of ButhZn

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and Ratauna. The total length of this trench was approximately three and a half miles. The precise measurement of the width and depth could not be ascertained from any narration. But, it is obvious t h a t the width and depth would have also been special, of the kind the enemy would have not found easy to cross. It has appeared in the narration of the event relating to Sayyidnii SalmZn & digging the trench that he used to dig his allotted portion of the trench which, a t the end of the day, came to be five yards long and five yards deep (Marqha6).From this, it can be said t h a t the depth of the trench was five yards.

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The size of the Islamic 'army'
At that time, Muslims were a total of three thousand in number along with a total of thirty six horses.

Participant age of maturity was set at fifteen years
Some non-pubert children had also come out with the Islamic 'army' with the desire to defend their faith. The Holy Prophet % asked children below t h e age of fifteen years to leave. Those fifteen y e a r old were accepted - included therein were Sayyidnii 'Abdulliih Ibn 'Umar, Zayd d itp~ l Ibn Thabit, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and B a r 2 Ibn 'Azib 1When this Islamic force was ready to march for battle, the hypocrites who normally kept a face and remained intermingled among Muslims, started backing out. Some bolted away incognito. Others came u p with false excuses and tried to get the permission of the Holy Prophet to go back. This was a new trouble that rose from within. Some of the cited verses have been revealed about these very hypocrites. (Qurtubi)

Islamic nationality and Islamic unity do not contradict administrative and social division
For this Jihad, the Holy Prophet % appointed Sayyidnii Zayd Ibn Hiirithah a s the standard bearer of the MuhEjirin and Sayyidnii Sa'd Ibn 'Ubadah & a s the standard bearer of the AnsZr. At t h a t time, the m u t u a l b r o t h e r h o o d a m o n g t h e MuhEjirin a n d t h e A n s Z r stood established on very firm foundations. All of them were brothers to each other. B u t , i t w a s i n view of a d m i n i s t r a t i v e convenience t h a t t h e leadership of t h e MuhZjirin was separated from t h e leadership of t h e An&: From this, we learn that Islamic nationality and Islamic unity are

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not contradictory to administrative and social division. I n fact, by placing the burden of responsibility an each group helped strengthen the bond of mutual confidence and cooperation. And in the very first assignment, that is, in the digging of trenches before this battle, this mutual cooperation became all too evident as described below:

The job of digging the trenches was spread over the whole army The Holy Prophet $ divided the whole army of the MuhZjirin and & the AnsEr in groups of ten men each and made every group of ten men responsible for digging forty yards of the trench. Since SayyidnZ Salrniin al-Fiirisi was the one who had advised the digging of the trench, knew t h e job, was strong a n d was neither one of t h e An+% nor one of t h e MuhZjirin, i t c r e a t e d a s o r t of competition a m o n g t h e AnsEr a n d MuhZjirin for each of the two wanted to have him with them. The matter reached to the extent that the Holy Prophet $& had to intervene in order to avoid any dispute. He gave his verdict by saying: 41 ; $iG L (SalmZn is part of our family). The discrimination of local and foreign in functional expertise The universal wont in our time is that people do not like to treat those non-resident and non-local a t par with them. But, this was a place where every group felt proud of having the competent one on their side and with them. I t was for this reason that the Holy Prophet included him in his family on h i s own a n d t h u s p u t a n e n d to t h e d i s p u t e . T h e n , .he practically picked up some MuhZjirin and some AnuZr to form a group of ten which included SayyidnZ 'Amr Ibn 'Awf &, Sayyidna Hudhaifah and others who were from among the MuhEjirin.

A great miracle
By chance, i n t h e section of the trench e n t r u s t e d with Sayyidna Salman and others with him, a huge, hard and glossy rock showed up. Sayyidna SalmZn's colleague, Sayyidna 'Amr Ibn 'Awf @ says, "This rock broke our implements and we failed to cut it apart. Then I suggested to SalmZn that though it is possible to dig the trench by- passing the huge rock and join it up with the main trench with a minor crookedness in it, but we should not deviate from the line drawn by the Holy Prophet as based on our opinion. So, you go, tell t h e Holy Prophet about t h e position here and get a n order from him about what we should do now."

Divine r e m i n d e r s It is strange that in this three and a half mile stretch of land no one from among the diggers of the trench faced any impediment which would render him helpless. The only one who did face it was SayyidnZ SalmZn L& who had given the advice of digging a trench and the whole project had started on his advice. To him Allah Ta'ZlS showed t h a t there was no way out even after digging and making a perfect trench - except turning to Allah Ta'ZlZ for help in the face of the failure of all implements and instruments. Here, these blessed souls were being taught that assembling material means to the measure of capacity and ability was obligatory, but to place trust in these was not correct. The trust of a believer - even after having assembled all possible material means - should be i n Allah Ta'ZlZ alone.

SayyidnZ SalmZn 4 presented himself before the Holy Prophet $$$ & and told him about what had happened. At that time, the Holy Prophet $& was himself working in his part of the trench. He was busy hauling the dug out earth from the trench. SayyidnZ Bara' Ibn 'Azib G$3 says, "I saw him. Dust had covered his blessed body in a manner t h a t the skin on his front and back was not visible." Rather than give SayyidnZ Salman any advice or order, he accompanied him in person to the problem spot. With the ten Sahabah busy digging the trench with SayyidnZ SalmZn, he too went down into the trench and joined the diggers. He took the pickaxe in his blessed hands, struck a t the rock and recited the v e r ~ e : ~ @ (tammat kalimatu rabbika sidqa: And t h e Word of your Lord is perfect in truth ... - al-An'Zm, 6:115). With this one single stroke from it, one third portion of the rock was cut off and released from this rock was a streak of light. After that, he struck a t the rock once again and ',",>. recited the said verse upto the end, that is: Y b j IhAJ j L-$ (tammat kalimatu rabbika sidqan wa 'adla : And the Word of your Lord is perfect in truth and justice - al-An'Zm, 6:115). Cut off with this second stroke was an additional one third portion of the rock which released a streak of light as before. The third time, he recited the same verse in full and executed the third stroke. With it, the rock was all finished. The Holy Prophet @ came out of the trench, picked up the sheet wrap he had left a t the edge of the trench a n d s a t down on one side of it. At t h a t time, SayyidnZ SalmZn al-FZrisi & said, "ERasulallah, every time struck a t the rock,

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ever time I saw a light coming out of the rock." The Holy Prophet asked Sayyidna Salman, "Have you really seen this light?" He said, "E Rasiilall?ih, I have seen i t with my own eyes." The Holy Prophet % said, "In the light that was released after the first strike, I saw the palaces of the cities of Yaman and those of Cyrus and Angel Jibra'2 told me: 'your Ummah will conquer these cities.' And when I struck a t the rock the second time, I was shown the red palaces of the Byzantines and Angel Jibra'il gave the good news, 'your Umnah will conquer these cities a s well.' " After having heard this, all Muslims felt a t peace and became assured of their great successes in the future. Hypocrites t h r o w t a u n t s at Muslims f o r believing i n t h e i r Prophet's promises At that time, the hypocrites who were part of the digging operations of the trench, started asking other Muslims, 'It is strange t h a t you people are not surprised a t what Muhammad $$ is telling you. Is i t not that he is making all those baseless promises to you in the depth of this trench being dug in Yathrib where he is claiming to be seeing the palaces of Hirah (in the South) and Mada'in ( in the North)? And on top of i t all, h e is telling you that it is you people who are going to conquer them! J u s t look a t yourself. Here you are, digging and digging, forgetful of all your needs. Frankly, you do not even have the time to t a k e care of your h u m a n compulsions. Still, is i t you who a r e going to conquer t h e countries of Cyrus and others?' Thereupon, it was about this very event that, in the twelfth verse cited above, it was revealed:

(And (remember) when the hypocrites and those having malady in their hearts were saying, "Allah and His messenger did not promise u s b u t , , i;: (and deceitfully; - 12). Here, in this verse, by saying: those having malady i n their hearts), reference is being made to the state of the same hypocrites hidden in whose hearts there was that disease of hypocrisy.

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J u s t imagine the kind of time it was, a severe trial indeed. At stake was the very faith of Muslims for they had to believe in the word of the Holy Prophet with the full backing of their mind and heart despite being threatened by disbelievers from all sides. They had no servants to

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dig their trench for them. They were doing this hard work with their own hands braving t h e lashing winter. The unfriendly weather, the approaching enemy factor, theirs was a general climate of fear all around. In a situation like that, it was not easy to be sure of even one's defence and survival within whatever means were available. How could they go on from here and start believing in the good news of the conquests of the great kingdoms of Byzantine and Persia? But, the value of %an. (faith) is the highest of all deeds for the reason that they, even when facing totally contrary causes and conditions, did not have the least doubt or qualm of conscience about what the Holy Prophet % had told them. Seniors m u s t s h a r e every trial with their juniors - Great guidance for Muslims were Who does not know that the SahZbah of the Holy Prophet such selfless servants of the Holy Prophet % that they never wanted to have him do the hard labor of digging the trench with them, but it was the personal initiative of the Holy Prophet % that he chose to share this hard labor with his noble companions to mollify their hearts and teach them their essential lesson to p u t mutual brotherhood to practice. Of course, the noble companions staked their lives for the Holy Prophet $& on the basis of his most perfect attributes a s prophet and messenger of Allah, but of the many outward causes for this attachment, there was this major cause that he would be with them on all occasions facing all sorts of trials and pains like everybody else. When he did that, nobody ever thought of what we know as a class difference. There was no ruler and there was no one beidg ruled. There was no king around a n d t h e r e w a s no subject paying homage. Who was the man in power and who was the man from the masses? T h i s kind of difference was unimaginable a t t h a t time. Unfortunately, from the time the Muslim wielders of power abandoned this Sunnah (the blessed practice of the Holy Prophet $&,) that.was the time these differences gushed forth bringing all sorts of tests a n d trials in their wake. T h e m a s t e r p r e s c r i p t i o n of a c h i e v i n g s u c c e s s a g a i n s t s o m e t h i n g h a r d t o accomplish In the event mentioned above, the Holy Prophet $& h a s recited the verse of the Qur'Zn: + @ JG Y ?G; & k-!-? (And the Word of <J+ ; your Lord is perfect i n t r u t h a n d justice. None is t h e r e to change His

Words - al-An'iim, 6:115) while striking at this invincible rock. This tells us that the recitation of this verse is a tested prescription for the resolution of something difficult.

The selfless mutual cooperation of the noble qahabah
We already know that there were ten men appointed for the digging of the trench a t every ten yards. But, it is obvious that some people are stronger and can finish their job sooner than others. The same was true here. The noble SahZbah who finished their allotted portion of digging would never go on to sit doing nothing and thinking that their duty was over. In fact, they would help out other Sahabah whose portion of digging was still incomplete. (Qufiubi, Mazhari)

Three and a half mile long trench was completed in six days
The outcome of t h e h a r d work p u t i n by t h e noble SahZbah, may Allah be pleased with them all, was before everybody in six days in that such a long, wide and deep trench stood all completed within that short period of time. (Mazhari)

An open miracle in the feast hosted by Sayyidnii JZbir &
It was during the digging of this very trench that the well known event came to pass. On one of those days, when Sayyidna JZbir & looked a t the Holy Prophet he felt deep down in his heart that he was really affected by hunger. He went to his wife and told her, "If you have something with you, cook it. I simply cannot bear by seeing this effect of hunger on his blessed person." His wife said, "We have about a $5' of barley grains i n our home. I am going to grind t h e m a n d make some flour." One $;'is equal to about three and a half kilograms in terms of our weights. So, his wife got busy with the grinding of barley, making flour, preparing dough and baking bread. There was a goat kid in the house. SayyidnZ J a i r & slaughtered it, cooked the meat and was ready to go out and invite the Holy Prophet $& in when his wife called out to him saying, "Look, there is a crowd of the SahZbah with the Holy Prophet @. Do something a n d somehow invite only t h e Holy P r o p h e t alone. Please, do not put me to disgrace by causing such a big crowd of the noble SahZbah come in with the Holy Prophet Sayyidnii JZbir &, acting realistically, made the actual situation fully clear before the Holy Prophet telling him that they had only that much of food i n the house. But, as for t h e Holy Prophet $$$,h e made a public announcement before t h e

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entire work force asking everyone to come to the feast a t SayyidnZ JZbir's home. Sayyidnii JZbir G$J was struck with wonder. When h e reached home, his wife was extremely disturbed. She asked, "Did you tell the Holy Prophet about the actual situation a t home and the amount of food available?" SayyidnZ JZbir & said, "Yes, that I have told him." This put his wife a t peace and she said, "Then we have nothing to worry about. The Holy Prophet is our master. Let him have i t the way h e wishes." Any more detail of the event is unnecessary a t this place. It is enough to know the outcome that the Holy Prophet $& took it upon himself to distribute the bread and curry to everybody with his own blessed hands and see that they are entertained and fed satisfactorily. As a result, the whole crowd ate to their fill. And SayyidnZ JZbir & says t h a t "even ar"ter everybody having finished eating, our stock pot showed no dearth of meat, nor our kneaded flour any signs of decrease. All of u s i n the family a t e to o u r h e a r t ' s c o n t e n t a n d w h a t e v e r r e m a i n e d we s e n t to t h e neighbours." Thus, when the digging of the trench was finished within six days, a n d his noble the Confederate a r m y arrived a n d the Holy Prophet Companions, may Allah be pleased with t h e m all, w e n t i n t o b a t t l e formation with the Mount of Sal' thoughtfully kept towards their rear.

The Jews of the tribe of Bani Quraiyah break their pledge and join the Confederate aggressors
That was a time when a group of three thousand ill-equipped people standing up to fight against a n equipped a r m y of some t e n to twelve thousand men was something far too wild to believe. On top of all that, there came up a new factor. Out of the Confederate forces, Huyayy Ibn Akhtab, the chief of the tribe of BanE NadTr who had contributed most in rallying everyone against the Holy Prophet % and his Muslim followers, took another step. He reached M a d h a h and conspired to win over the Jewish tribe of Ban; Quraizah over their side. The situation was that BanE Quraizah a n d t h e Holy Prophet $&$ already h a d a peace treaty signed between them. This was a solemn undertaking and the two parties naturally had no apprehensions from each other. Ka'b Ibn Asad was the . chief of the tribe of BanE Q u r a i ~ a h Huyayy Ibn Akhtab went to see him. When Ka'b heard about his reported arrival, he had the gate of his castle closed, so that this man would not reach him. But, Huyayy Ibn Akhtab

hanged out t h e r e , h e called a n d called a n d insisted t h a t t h e gate be opened. Ka'b told him from inside the gate, "We have already made a peace treaty with Muhammad & and we know of nothing from his side other than truth, honesty and strict adherence to the treaty right to this day, therefore, we are bound with this treaty and cannot join hands with you." For long, this dialogue between the two continued with Huyayy Ibn Akhtab insisting that the gate be opened and that Ka'b should talk to him and the later kept refusing to do that while staying inside the closed gate. But, consequently when Huyayy Ibn Akhtab challenged Ka'b's sense of shame in that h e was treating a visitor in such a crude manner, the gate was opened. Once called in, Huyayy Ibn Akhtab painted such a rosv picture of his proposals that Ka'b ultimately fell into the trap laid out by him and gave his word that he would take part in the Confederate expedition. When Ka'b related what he had done before other chiefs of his tribe, they all said in one voice, "You did something terrible. You broke your pledge with Muslims for no reason whatsoever and that by going along with the other side you have exposed your own self to danger." Ka'b too was affected by their comments and even repented for what he had done. But, things had gone out of his control by that time and this very pledge-breaking finally went on to become the cause of the destruction of BanG Quraizah a s i t would be mentioned later. At t h a t particular time, when t h e Holy Prophet a n d t h e noble SahZbah got this information, they were shocked by this breach of trust from BanG Quraizah. What worried them most was the strange situation created for them. They had a trench dug across the line of the marching forces of the Confederates who were coming from outside Madinah. But, these Banii Quraizah people were right there inside M a d h a h . How were they going to defend against them? About this when the Qur7Znsays that the disbelieving forces of the Confederate army had overtaken you: ,, &&I>; $3 (from above you a n d from below you - l o ) , Tafsir authorities say t h a t t h e expression: j (from above) means t h e BanG > Quraizah and those who came from below them mean the rest of the Confederates.
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To find out the reality of this breach of trust and to assess the correct situation i n t h e whole matter, the Holy Prophet $ s e n t a deputation comprising SayyidnZ Sa'd Ibn Mu'iidh &,the chief of the Ansiir tribe of

Aws and Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn 'Ubadah, the chief of the tribe of Khazraj, to Ka'b in order to talk to him about the matter. The instruction given to them was that should the event of this breach of trust t u r n out to be incorrect, they were to tell the whole truth before all the Sahabah openly. And should i t t u r n out to be t r u e , they should, on t h e i r r e t u r n , say something ambivalent which will be a message only we shall understand while the rest of t h e S a h a b a h will remain safe from facing a n y panic because of it. When both these elders named Sa'd reached there, they saw open proofs of the breach of pledge all over which even went to the extent of hot exchanges of words between t h e m a n d Ka'b. O n t h e i r r e t u r n , following the instructions given to them earlier, they reported back their findings in unclear words and thus informed the Holy Prophet that the event of the breaking of the pledge was true. At the time when the Jewish tribe of BanL Quraizah, once a n ally of Muslims, also joined t h e w a r a g a i n s t t h e m , something else s t a r t e d happening. The hypocrisy of people who posed to be a part of the Muslim community lost its cover. Some of them became far too vocal and started saying things against the Holy Prophet as was mentioned earlier in: J$ ' i; (and when said the hypocrites - 12). Then, they were others ! who cooked up all sorts of excuses to run away from the battlefield and sought the permission of the Holy Prophet $$$ to do that - which has been mentioned in verse 13: 6s: (Our homes are vulnerable). !

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Now according to the present state of the battle front, the Confederate forces could not march in because of the trench with the Muslim army positioned on the other side. There was almost a continuous exchange of arrows between them all the time. This state of affairs dragged on for nearly a month. They could neither confront each other in some open or decisive battle, nor could they turn heedless towards the opponent for any extended period of time. Day a n d night, t h e Holy Prophet a n d his noble SahZbah would s t a n d guard by t h e trench. Although, t h e Holy Prophet $& was personally involved in this hard task like everybody else, yet the thought t h a t all his companions were suffering from extreme anxiety due to this impasse was very painful for him.

A strategic plan of the Holy Prophet
It was already in the knowledge of the Holy Prophet

@ t h a t the chief

Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 9 - 27

116

of the tribe of GhitfZn had joined hands with these Jews as tempted by the greed of having the fruits and dates of Khaibar. He sent a n emissary to the two chiefs of the tribe of GhitfZn, 'Uyaynah 'Ibn H i p and Abii al-HZrith Ibn 'Amr, with the message: "If you leave the battlefield with your men, we shall give you one-third of t h e fruit of Madinah." This negotiation was still on. The two chief had agreed and a peace treaty was close to be signed. But, as was his wont and habit, the Holy Prophet decided to consult the noble SahZbah in this matter. He called the two Sa'ds, the chiefs of the tribe of Aws and Khazraj, that is, SayyidnZ Sa'd Ibn 'UbZdah and Sa'd Ibn Mu'Zdh, and sought their advice.

The F a i t h , t h e S e n s e of Shame and t h e Granite of a Determination shown by a QahZbi of the Rasiil of Allah
Both of them said, "Ya RasYilallZh, if you have orders from Allah Ta'ZlZ to do t h i s thing, then, we cannot dare s a y anything. We shall accept. If not, tell us: Is it your personal opinion or you have devised this as a measure to save us from all this hardship and suffering?" The Holy Prophet said, "Neither is there a Divine order for it, nor do I have any personal inclination to do so. In fact, I have come up with t h i s via media i n view of your pain a n d suffering because you a r e surrounded from all sides. So, I simply wished to shatter the power of the adversary in this manner without losing any time." Sayyidna Said Ibn Mu'iidh said, "Ya RasiilallZh, when we worshipped idols, we did neither know Allah nor did we worship Him. At that time, these people could not dare look a t a single fruit of our city with greedy eyes - except t h a t they be o u r g u e s t s a n d we offer some of i t to t h e m by way of hospitality, or that they would buy it from us and take it away with them. Today, when Allah Ta'ZlZ has, in His infinite grace, given us the ability of knowing Him, and has bestowed upon us the honor of Islam, shall we, on t h i s day, l e t t h e s e people have o u r f r u i t s a n d our w e a l t h a n d o u r properties? We need no peace and compromise from them. As for us, we are not going to give them anything but the cutting edge of our swords to the extent t h a t Allah TaiZIZ Himself gives the ultimate verdict between US and them."

4

heard SayyidnZ Sa'd G$% a n d saw this When t h e Holy Prophet high determination and this great enthusiasm in the matter of his 'ImZn, he cast that thought of his aside and said, "You now have the right to do

what you wish." SayyidnZ Sa'd & took the peace treaty document from his blessed hands and erased the writing on it because i t was not signed yet. 'Uyaynah a n d HZrith, t h e chiefs of t h e GhitfZn tribes who were present i n t h e meeting r e a d y to sign t h i s t r e a t y found themselves personally unnerved in their hearts a t this demonstration of power and determination from the noble Companions of the Holy Prophet

g.

The wound received by SayyidnZ Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh prayer

& and his

On the other side, the activity of throwing arrows and stones on each other continued unabated. SayyidnZ Sa'd & had gone into the fortress of BanG HZrithah to see his mother where women had been housed under security. Sayyidah 'A'ishah l g d~ d,says, "At t h a t time, I too was in the l same fortress a n d t h e injunctions of hijab for women w e r e yet to be enforced. I saw that Sa'd Ibn Mu'Zdh was wearing a small coat of mail from which his h a n d s were protruding out r a t h e r awkwardly a n d his mother was telling him to make haste, go and join the men fighting with I said to his mother, "A larger coat of mail would the Holy Prophet have been better for him. I apprehend that his hands and feet showing out of his coat of mail may be exposed to danger." His mother said, "It does not matter. Whatever Allah has to do is what has to happen."

g.

When SayyidnZ Mu'Zdh & reached the battlefield, h e was hit by a n arrow which cut through his medial arm vein. At t h a t time, SayyidnZ Mu'adh made the following prayer:
"0 Allah, if there is yet another attack by the Quraish destined to come against the Holy Prophet g, please keep me alive for that, because I have no worthwhile wish left in me but that I fight the people who have caused all sorts of pain to the Holy Prophet $&, expelled him from his homeland and falsified his person and mission. And if, in Your ultimate knowledge, this process of war has come to an end, please bless me with the death of a martyr'in the way of Allah - but, let not death come to me until such time that the treachery of Bani Quraizah is avenged as the parting delight of my eyes."

Allah Ta'ZlZ answered both these prayers from him. This event of al-AhzZb was made to be the last attack of the disbelievers. After that, began the period of Muslim victories. First came Khaibar, then Makkah al-Mukarramah and then other areas. As for the event relating to BanG

Quraizah, it follows later as to how they were brought forth as captives and their case was entrusted with none else b u t Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu'Zdh & for the final verdict. It was in accordance with his verdict that their men were killed and their women and children were taken prisoners. During this event of al-AhzZb, the noble SahZbah a n d t h e Holy Prophet had to maintain an all-night vigilance throughout the trench area. The slightest relaxation a t any time had to be broken a t the faintest sound of commotion from any side. In fact, the Holy Prophet @ would himself p u t his a r m s back on and come out i n t h e battle area. Umm ul-Mu'minin Sayyidah Umm Salamah Igc. d d , says, "Every single l night, this would happen several times that he would come in for a little rest and then heard some sound and went out immediately. The same thing happened again. The moment he would put his back for rest, he would hear some sound and leave as usual." Umm al-Mu'minh Sayyidah Umm Salamah L+s dl H~also says, "I have been with the Holy Prophet in many battles such as MuraisT, Khaibar, Hudaibiyah, the battles of the conquest of Makkah and Hunain. None of these caused more hardship on the Holy Prophet @ as did the battle of Khandaq. Muslims also received a lot more wounds in this battle. T h e n , t h e y w e r e h i t by t h e severity of t h e w i n t e r chill a s well. Furthermore, their circumstances were extremely straightened in terms of food and water available to them. (MazharT)

The Holy Prophet had to miss four Salahs in this Jihad One of those days, the confronting disbelievers decided to launch a joint and simultaneous attack and force their way ahead by somehow crossing t h e trench. Once they h a d resolved to do t h a t , they threw themselves dauntlessly against the Muslims and their archers rained their arrows so incessantly t h a t t h e Holy Prophet a n d his noble SahEbah had to remain so engaged throughout the day that they did not find any respite to even make their SalZh. As a result, four Saliihs missed during the day had to be performed a t the time of 'Ish-al'. The prayers of the Holy Prophet $& When things became unbearably hard on Muslims, the Holy Prophet % prayed against the Confederate forces of the disbelievers, doing that for three days consecutively on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday inside

Masjid al-F'ath imploring Allah Ta'alZ to bring defeat on the Confederates and victory for Muslims. I t was on the third day, on Wednesday between Zuhr and 'Asr that the prayer was answered. Pleased, the Holy Prophet came to his noble Sahabah and gave them the glad tiding of victory. They say that after that time no Muslim faced any hardship any more.
(Mazhas)

g,

T h e u n r a v e l i n g of the c a u s e s of v i c t o r y In the combined forces of the enemy, the tribe of GhiffZn was a power to reckon with. I t was the most perfect power of Allah Ta'ZlZ t h a t put the light of faith in the heart of Nu'aim Ibn Mas'Gd who, a s destiny would have it, was one of them. He presented himself before the Holy Prophet confessed to his faith in Islam and told him that no one from among his people is aware of the fact that he has become a Muslim. Then, he wished that he be told a s to how he could serve Islam. The Holy Prophet $ told him, 'You being all alone here would not be able to do anything $ ! worthwhile. If you can go back to your people, be with them and still do something i n defence of Islam, then, go ahead a n d do it.' Nu'aim Ibn Mas'Gd was a n intelligent man. He conceived of a plan of action in his heart and sought the permission of the Holy Prophet to be given the choice of saying what is expedient when he reaches those people. He gave the permission. From h e r e , Nu'aim I b n Mas'iid w e n t to s e e t h e t r i b e of BanG Q u r a i z a h w i t h whom h e h a d age-old r e l a t i o n s s i n c e t h e t i m e of Jahiliyyah. He said to them: '0 people of BanG Quraizah, you know that I am a n old friend of yours.' They said, 'We h a v e no doubt about your friendship.' After that, SayyidnZ Nu'aim Ibn Mas'Gd & addressed the chiefs of BanG Quraizah as a well-wisher and asked them, 'You know that none of us - be they the Quraish of Makkah or our tribe of GhitEin or the several other Jewish tribes - have their homes here. If these people face defeat and run, they do not lose much. Your case is different from all of them. Madinah is your home. Your women and your properties are all here. Now, if you were to participate in the war effort with them and if, later, when these people taste defeat and run, what would happen to you? Would you be able to fight against the Muslims all by yourselves? Therefore, a s one who wishes the best for you, I advise you not to take part in the joint war effort with them until such time t h a t they do not put

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with you a c e r t a i n number of t h e i r selected chiefs a s r a n s o m a n d guarantee that they would not throw you all a t the mercy of Muslims and r u n . ' T h e people of B a n 6 Quraizah found t h i s advice good. They appreciated it and said so before him. After t h a t , Nu'aim Ibn Mas'Tid & reached t h e Quraish chiefs and said to them, 'You know that I am your friend and that I have nothing to I have a little bit of information with me. Being do with Muhammad one who wishes well for you, i t is necessary t h a t I p a s s on t h a t information to you - of course, on the condition that you will not disclose my name as its source. Here is that information: The Jews of the tribe of B a n i Q u r a i q a h h a v e now r e g r e t t e d t h e i r decision a f t e r t h e y h a d concluded their pact with you. They have sent a message to Muhammad @ about i t telling him t h a t they will be willing to go along with him subject to the condition t h a t they would hand over some chiefs of t h e tribes of Quraish and GhitfZn and that he would then put them to the sword. Once that was done, they would join hands with him and fight against all of them. Muhammad has accepted this proposal made by them. Now the Banii Quraizah were going to demand that you put some of your chiefs as ransom with them and it was upto them to figure out what they were going to do in their case.

g.

After that, Nu'aim Ibn Mas'Ed & went to his own tribe, GhitEn and to them, he passed on t h e same information. Concurrent to this, Abii SufyZn appointed 'Ikrimah Ibn AbI Jahl on behalf of the tribe of Quraish and WarqZ' Ibn GhitfZn on behalf of the tribe of GhitGn to the mission of going to Banii Quraiqah and telling them that their war supplies were diminishing a n d t h e i r men were g e t t i n g t i r e d of h a v i n g to f i g h t continuously. So, according to t h e provision of t h e i r pact, they were looking forward to t h e i r help a n d participation. T h e t r i b e of BanTi Quraizah, acting in the light of 'their' (latest) understanding of the pact, told them that they will not take part in the war effort with them until such time that some chiefs from both of their tribes have been placed in their custody as ransom (guarantee, hostage). 'Ikrimah and WarqZ', the two emissaries carried the message back to Abii SufyZn. As a result, the chiefs of Quraish and Ghitfin came to believe that the information given by SayyidnZ Nu'aim Ibn Mas'Tid & was correct. So they sent a return message to Banii Quraizah telling them that they were not going to let

them have any of their men. Now it was up to them. If they wished they could join the war effort with them and if they did not, they were free not to. When BanG Quraizah saw this state of affairs, their belief in what Nu'aim'Ibn Mas'ud & had said became all the more firm. I t was i n this manner that Allah Ta'ZlZ caused a rift in the ranks of the enemy through a person who came from their camp and soon after they lost their foothold on the battlefield. Along with it there came another calamity upon them. Allah Ta'ZlZ caused a cold stormy wind overtake them which uprooted their tents and blew their cooking pots from their stoves. As for these, they were only outward causes generated by Allah Ta'ZlZ to m a k e t h e m d e s e r t t h e battlefield. More came in the form of His angels who were sent to put awe in their hearts inwardly too. These two things have been mentioned a t ' , the beginning of the verses cited above as follows: GJ L,b Gj> (and We sent upon them a wind, and the forces (of angels) you did not see - 9). As a consequence, they had no choice but to run.
1,'1

1

9
I)

, I ,

The event of SayyidnZ Hudhaifah & going into enemy lines and reporting back about conditions prevailing there
On the other side, when the Holy Prophet heard the report of what Nu'aim Ibn Mas'Gd & h a d accomplished a n d how a rift w a s caused among the Confederate forces, he was strongly inclined towards the idea of someone from among t h e Muslims going into t h e enemy lines a n d returning with the much needed intelligence about the enemy formations and intentions. But, this severe and chilly wind storm that was sent upon the enemy, however, did affect the whole of Madinah and Muslims too were affected by it. The chill was bitter. The time was night. The noble SahZbah were, after the heavy grind of a long day, sitting all shattered because of the confrontation, huddled together feeling the pinch of bitter cold. Addressing t h e gathering, t h e Holy Prophet $& s a i d , "Is t h e r e someone who would stand up and go into the enemy lines and bring some news about t h e m a n d may Allah Ta'ElZ admit him into J a n n a h ? " Of course, this was a gathering of SahZbah who would have normally staked their lives a t his call. But, the objective conditions prevailing with them were such that no one could stand up. The Holy Prophet % got busy with SalZh. After remaining busy with SalZh for a while, he addressed the gathering again saying, "Is there someone here who would bring me some

news from the enemy lines and receive Jannah in return for it?" This time too, silence prevailed over the entire gathering. No one rose. The Holy Prophet % got busy with SalZh once again. After some time, it was the third time that he made the same appeal, "Whoever does it shall be in J a n n a h with me." B u t , everyone was so broken down from fatigue, hunger a n d chill a n d so utterly helpless t h a t no one could still bring himself up to rise.

, The narrator of the h a d i ~ h Sayyidnii Hudhaifah Ibn Yamiin, says, ' a t t h a t t i m e t h e Holy P r o p h e t called m e by n a m e a n d s a i d , "Hudhaifah, you go." My condition was no different from the others. But, once I was ordered by name, I had no option but to obey. I stood up while my whole body was shivering with bitter cold. He passed his blessed hand over my head and my face and said, "Go into the enemy lines and just bring back some news and do nothing before you return to me." Then he prayed for my safety. I picked up my bow and arrows, tied up my own clothes on my body and took my way towards them.
When I started moving ahead from here, I noticed something strange. The shivering sensation that had me in its grips while I was in the tent was all gone. Actually, I was walking as if one was inside a hot bath all the way up to enemy camp. Once there, I saw that the wind storm had uprooted their tents and upturned their cooking pots. AbG Sufyiin was seated by the make-shift fire place relaxing before the heat. When I saw this (a sitting target), I trained my bow and arrow over my shoulders and was about to shoot Abii SufyZn with my arrow, I remembered the order given by the Holy Prophet %: 'Do nothing before you return back to me.' Abii SufyZn was absolutely within the striking range of my arrow, but it w a s i n c o n s i d e r a t i o n of t h i s o r d e r of t h e Holy P r o p h e t $ t h a t I $ ! disengaged my arrow from the bow. Disturbed by t h e condition around h i m , Abii SufyEn w a n t e d to announce the plan to withdraw. But, in order to do that, i t was necessary that he should talk to responsible people from among the combined armed forces. The night was dark and the place was desolate. The danger of a snooping spy nearby who may overhear what they were talking about was very much present. Therefore, Abii SufyEn did something smart. Before starting to talk, h e asked the whole gathering to recognize the person sitting next to everyone so that no one who is not one of them

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would be able to hear what they said.' SayyidnZ Hudhaifah & says, "Now, I was scared. What if the person sitting next to me were to ask me: Who are you? If so, my cover will blow up.' It was with great presence of mind and courage t h a t h e himself took the initiative, and slapping the hand of the person sitting next to him, he himself asked: Who a r e you? The m a n said, 'Strange t h a t you do not know me. I am so and so the son of so and so.' He was a member of the tribe of HawZzin. Thus, Sayyidna Hudhaifah was saved by Allah Ta'ZlZ from being arrested on the spot. When AbE SufyZn ensured it that the gathering was t h a t of his own people and t h a t there was no stranger present among them, h e related the disturbing conditions around them, how the tribe of BanE Quraizah had committed a breach of pledge a n d the extent to which t h e i r w a r supplies had shrunk. After having recounted the situation, h e said: I n my opinion, all of us should now leave and go back and I too a m going back. Immediately thereafter, a state of panic hit the Confederate army and everyone started going back. Sayyidna Hudhaifah & says, "As I started going back from there, I felt as if I had some sort of a hot bath around me that was shielding me from the bitter chill. When I reached the home base, I found the Holy Prophet @ busy with SalZh. When he turned for SalZm, I reported the event. Pleased w i t h t h i s happy news, t h e Holy P r o p h e t @ s t a r t e d laughing - to the extent that, in the darkness of the night, his blessed teeth were seen shining. After that, the Holy Prophet $& made room for me close to his feet and covered my body with a part of the sheet he had wrapped a r o u n d h i m u n t i l I went to sleep i n t h a t condition. When , ,,', .) morning came, h e himself woke me u p saying: &S;L.,d ( 'Up 0 big sleeper!')

Now, they shall not attack us, instead, we will attack them and run over their territory - al-BukhZri as in Maqhari.

After having said that, the Holy Prophet and his noble Sahiibah returned to t h e city of Madinah and it was only after a month t h a t Muslims formally disarmed themselves.

A special note
This event pertaining Sayyidnii Hudhaifah & appears in the Sahih of Muslim. I t is a n example-setter of great class as well as a bearer of many elements of guidance and miracles of the Holy Prophet Those who ponder over it would themselves find these out, therefore, any more details are not needed.

g.

The Battle of Banii Quraigah
The Holy Prophet had just about reached Madinah when suddenly came SayyidnZ Jibra'il al-Amin in the guise of the SahZbT, Sayyidna Dihyah Ibn Khalifah al-Kalbi & and said, "Even though you people have disarmed yourselves but the angels have not. Allah Ta'iilii commands you to attack Banii Quraizah a n d I am going right t h e r e ahead of you." To announce this in Madinah, the Holy Prophet % sent a proclaimer who proclaimed t h i s order of t h e Holy Prophet % before t h e people making sure that it reaches everyone. The order was: 2 <!;k;il jCi * , , L - s (Let no m a n make his SalZh of 'Asr u n t i l h e reaches B a n u ~ Quraizah).

,,,'

SY

All Companions got ready for this second J i h a d immediately a n d marched towards Banii Quraizah. On their way came the time of 'Asr. Some of them, following the outward sense of the prophetic order, did not make their SalZh of 'Asr en route - instead, made it only after having reached the designated destination of Banii Quraizah. And there were others who thought that objective of the Holy Prophet % was to reach Banfi Quraizah within the time for 'Asr. So, they thought, if they made their SalZh en route and reached there within the time for 'Asr, then, it would not be contrary to the order of the Holy Prophet @. Thus, they made their SalZh of 'Asr as it became due while still en route.

In the difference of Mujtahids, no side is sinful or blameworthy
When the Holy Prophet $$$ was informed about this difference in the practical compliance of his order on the part of the noble SahZbah, he put no blame on any of the two parties; in fact, he approved of both. From

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here, the religious scholars of the Muslim community have deduced the principle that none of the different sayings of Mujtahid 'UlamEJwho are Mujtahids in the real sense of the term and have the required expertise and ability of Ijtihad (arriving a t a Shari'ah-based religious solution of problems a t t h e h i g h e s t conceivable level) c a n be called 'sin' or 'blameworthy.' For both such differing sides, reward is recorded against their action as based on their respective IjtihZd.

At the time of marching out for Jihad against BanG Quraizah, the Holy P r o p h e t $ h a n d e d over t h e Muslim flag t o SayyidnZ 'Ali $ ! al-MurtadZ &. Hearing about the coming of the Holy Prophet @ and his noble SahZbah, the BanE Quraizah decided to shut themselves into their fort. The Islamic army laid a siege around it.
The Speech of Ka'b, the Chief of BanG Qurai~ah Ka'b, the Chief of the tribe of Ban; Quraizah who had broken the pledge given to t h e Holy Prophet in favor of a compact with the Confederates, assembled his people together, told them about the delicate situation and presented three possible solutions of the problem:
"To begin with, t h e first option is t h a t you all embrace Islam a n d because, and I tell you on oath, you already know follow Muhammad that he is in the right and the prophecy of his coming is there in your Torah which you recite. If you were to do this, not only that you will find safety for your life, property and children in this mortal world but also that your Hereafter too will turn out to be good and correct. The second option is that you start by first killing your women and children with your own hands and then go on to fight and kill them with all power a t your command until such time that all of you are also killed in the process. The third option is that you make a surprise attack on Muslims on the day of Sabbath - for Muslims know that fighting and killing on the day of Sabbath is unlawful i n our religion. Therefore, t h e y would not be expecting a n attack from our side on that particular day. Now, if we were to launch a sudden attack, it is possible that we may succeed." After having heard this address of their chief, Ka'b, his people replied that they will never accept the first option of embracing Islam, because

they did not want to abandon the Torah and start believing in some other Book. As for the second option, what wrong had their women and children done that they go about killing them? As for the third option, it was by itself against t h e commandment of the Torah a n d their religion. They could not do that too. After t h a t , all of them reached a n agreement t h a t they would lay down their a r m s before t h e Holy Prophet a n d be ready to accept whatever h e decided about t h e m . P r e s e n t t h e r e were some A n s a r i SahZbah belonging to the tribe of Aws. They had a n age-old pact with Banii Quraizah. So these Sahabah from the tribe of Aws requested the Holy Prophet that these people may be handed over to them. The Holy Prophet said, "Would you like me to entrust their case with one of your own chiefs?" When they agreed, the Holy Prophet @ said, "He is your chief, Sa'd Ibn Mu'Zdh. I entrust this matter with him for a judgement." Everyone approved of it. Sayyidnii Sa'd Ibn Mu'Zdh & was fatally wounded during the battle of Khandaq (the Trench) by a n arrow. The Holy Prophet @ had housed him in a tent pegged within the compound of the Masjid so that h e could be attended to. According to the order of the Holy Prophet @, the verdict on the prisoners from BanE Quraizah was left up to him. The verdict that he gave was t h a t t h e warring young from them should be killed a n d women, children a n d t h e aged should be t r e a t e d a s prisoners of w a r which is well-recognized in Islam. This very verdict was enforced. Soon after this verdict, t h e wound of SayyidnZ Sa'd Ibn MuZdh & s t a r t e d bleeding suddenly. Therefrom h e died. Allah Ta'alZ answered both prayers made by him - that there would be no attack from the Quraish against the Holy Prophet @ in the future, and that the BanG Quraizah would receive the punishment for their treachery which Allah caused to come upon them precisely through him. Some of those earmarked for killing were set free because of having embraced Islam. 'Atiyyah al-Qurazi, well-known among the Sahabah, is one of them. Also among them, there was Zubayr Ibn BZtZ. His freedom was specially r e q u e s t e d from t h e Holy P r o p h e t & by t h e SahZbi, SayyidnZ ThZbit I b n Qays Ibn ShammZs &. T h e r e a s o n was t h a t Zubayr I b n BZtZ h a d done a favour to him d u r i n g t h e days of t h e Jahiliyyah when, in the battle of Bu'Zth, ThZbit Ibn Qays had fallen a

~ r i s o n e r the hands of Zubayr Ibn BZtZ who had simply cut the locks of in his hair on the head and let him go free. He had not killed him.

Return of favour and national pride: Two unique models After having received the order for the release of Zubayr Ibn BZtZ, SayyidnZ ThZbit Ibn Qays went to him and said, "I have done it to return your favor you had done to me during the battle of Bu'Zth." Zubayr Ibn BEtZ said, "There is no doubt t h a t one gentleman deals with another gentleman just like that. But, please tell me what for would a m a n whose entire family is no more there like to stay alive?" When SayyidnZ Thiibit Ibn Qays heard this, he presented himself before the Holy Prophet $ and ! . $ submitted that the life and honor of his family and children may also be spared. I n his grace, he approved of it. When he informed Zubayr Ibn BZtZ about it, he took another step forward saying, "0 ThZbit, now tell me how a man with a family would stay alive if he is left with nothing to support it?" SayyidnZ Thabit Ibn Qays returned to the Holy Prophet @ once again and arranged to have whatever wealth or property he had also given back to him. Up to this point, narrated here was the case of the gentleness and gratitude of a true Muslim as demonstrated by SayyidnE ThZbit Ibn Qays.
Now, we can go to have a look a t what happened on the other side. When Zubayr I b n BZtZ was fully satisfied after h a v i n g e a r n e d his freedom and the freedom of his family and children a s well a s his wealth and property, he asked SayyidnZ ThZbit Ibn Qays about the chiefs of the Jewish tribes: "What happened to Ibn Abi al-Huqaiq whose face was like a Chinese mirror?" He said that he was killed. Then, h e asked, "What became of the Banii Quraizah chiefs, Ka'b Ibn Quraizah and 'Amr Ibn Quraizah?" He told him that they too were killed. Then h e asked about another two groups. In response, he was informed t h a t all of them were killed. Hearing this, Zubayr Ibn BZtZ said to SayyidnZ ThZbit I b n Qays, "You have returned the favor done to you and you have fulfilled your responsibility as due. But, I am not going to rehabilitate myself on my property after they are no more. Include me among them." He meant that he too should be killed. SayyidnZ ThZbit Ibn Qays refused to kill him. After that, it was on his insistence that some other Muslim killed him.
(Burtub3

Siirah al-Ahzbb : 33 : 9 - 27

128

T h i s w a s t h e n a t i o n a l p r i d e o r s e n s e of c o m m u n a l s h a m e demonstrated by a disbeliever, a kafir who, even after having been given everything back, did not like to continue living without his companions. Here we have two models of conduct demonstrated by a believer and a disbeliever, a mu'min and a kafir. Both belong to significant historical record. This victory against BanG Quraizah had taken place in the fifth year of Hijrah towards t h e end of t h e month of Dhulqa'dah a n d t h e beginning of Dhul-Hijjah. (Qurtubi)

A special note of caution
That the battle of al-Ahtab and Banii Quraizah have been taken up here in a somewhat detailed manner is because of two factors. (1)First of all, the Qur'Zn has itself opted to describe it in details spread over two sections. (2) Then, there is another reason for it. These events carry many instructions about different departments of life a n d they also spell out many clear miracles and lessons. These have been highlighted in the text of the present commentary under bold headings. Once we come to know the whole event, t h e translation of t h e meanings of t h e verses given above under t h e Arabic text, alongwith t h e footnotes, would become easier to understand. There are a few things that should, however, be taken note of: Firstly, mention h a s been made of e x t r e m e h a r d s h i p s faced by Muslims i n t h i s battle. One s t a t e of t h e anxiety of believers h a s been ,, d , ? pointed to in the words: ~ $ 1 a+- ( and you were thinking about Allah all sorts of thoughts. - 1.0) These thoughts refer to scruples that emerge in one's heart beyond his control a t the time of acute anxiety under which one may feel death a s near with no hope of deliverance left, or a t other occasions like that. Such non-voluntary apprehensions and scruples are (faith) nor that of one's neither contradictory of the perfection of ' f m ~ n nearness to Allah (wilzyah).Nevertheless, they do point out to the extent of the severity of distress and anxiety under which scruples had started creeping into the hearts of even the noble Sahabah who, otherwise, were virtual mountains of fortitude.

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The second state mentioned here is that of the hypocrites for they had started saying t h a t the promises of Allah and His Rasiil were a web of ', '>!* , d e c e p t i o n : IJ,p y! 'drJ; $1 C ; I G : k$ J sJIj , , Jfr j (And ! (remember) when the hypocrites and those having malady i n their hearts
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were saying, "Allah and His messenger did not promise u s but deceitfully; -12). This was a n externalized demonstration of their i n n e r disbelief. Onward from here, mention has been made of two groups of hypocrites who were practically a p a r t of t h e J i h a d effort along w i t h Muslims, though outwardly only. One of the two groups started running without , , , >'* * ' any permission saying: 4 tdLJC) j!j (and when a r: rd & 3 C Y + 1 , group of them said, " 0 people of Yathrib (Madinah), there is no place for you to stay; so go back. - 13" And the other group requested the permission of the Holy Prophet &@ to go back on the basis of false excuses. Their a,,, ,>'*,.>:,.~,,,, conduct has been mentioned as: iJpCi i)! il$$>l ; e a;, 3 ? L - , (And a group of them was seeking permission (to leave) from the prophet, saying, "In fact our homes are vulnerable," while they were not vulnerable - 13). Thus, the Qur'iin exposed the hollowness of their excuses as a pack of lies. The truth of the matter was no more than that they intended to run from ,>'>d the battlefront: Y! i)j&+! ( They wanted nothing but to escape - 13). i Taken up in the next several verses is their mischief-making and enmity with Muslims following which their sad end has been pointed out.
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After t h a t , t h e text mentions sincere believers a n d praises their firmness a n d fortitude. I n t h e same connection, there comes a strong assertion of the need to obey and follow the Holy Prophet &@ almost in the form of a legal rule of conduct: 'L 6;; ; ; ; ;J 2 $ j;$ di (There is indeed a good model for you in the Messenger of Allah - 21). From here it stands proved that all sayings and doings of the Holy Prophet &@ have to be followed. But, the Shari'ah authorities have explained the rule about the different degrees of following required from a Muslim. The rule is that any act or omission of the Holy Prophet @ proved to have been done as an obligation would have to be obeyed and followed as wajib (obligatory, necessary). And any act or omission on his part that is proved to have been done as a preferable conduct (istihbab) and not as a n obligatory one, should be followed by us too as a commendable (mustahab) conduct and not as a necessary obligation This, in other words, means that its contravention will not be declared to be a sin. (For a detailed discussion, see al-JassEs in &kEm ul-Qur'En)

41

The last three (25-27) of the cited verses refer to the event relating to , , > ,>, & J$; it Banii QuraiE~ah. verse 26: ,&& G 4 CjB1 pjp In 1 was said that Allah Ta6ii1Ehad, byputting the awe of the Holy Prophet @

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and his Muslim followers into the hearts of the people of the Book who had helped t h e Confederate forces, made them come down from their strong fortresses a n d h a d t h u s made Muslims t h e inheritors of their properties, homes and areas of concentration. I n the last verse (27), good news of future victories has been given. Gone is t h e time when disbelievers attacked. Now t h e cycle of Muslim victories will begin and they will come to be on lands their feet have not touched yet. And this prophecy unfolded itself during the tenure of the noble S a h a b a h a n d everyone witnessed the spectacle of great empires ruled by Cyrus and Caesar come under them. And Allah does what He wills.

Verses 28 - 34

0 prophet, say to your wives, "If you intend (to have the pleasure of) worldly life and its charm, then come on, and I shall give you some stuff, and release you i n a handsome fashion. [28] and if you intend (to gain t h e p l e a s u r e of) Allah a n d His m e s s e n g e r a n d ( t h e betterment of) the Hereafter, then, Allah has prepared a great reward for those of you who do good". [29] 0 wives of t h e Prophet, whoever from among you will commit a clearly shameful act, the punishment will be doubled for her. And it is easy for Allah to do so. [30] And whoever of you stays obedient to Allah a n d His messenger, and acts righteously, We shall give her twice her reward, and We have prepared for her a prestigious provision. [31] 0 wives of the prophet, you are not like any other women, if you observe taqwa. So, do not be too soft in your speech, lest someone having disease in his h e a r t should develop fancies (about you); a n d do speak with appropriate words. [32] And remain i n your homes, and do not display (your) beauty as it used to be displayed in the days of earlier ignorance. And establish ~ a l Z h , n d pay zakiih, a n d obey Allah a n d His a messenger. Allah only intends to keep (all sorts of) filth a w a y f r o m you, 0 m e m b e r s of t h e family (of t h e prophet), a n d t o make you p u r e t h r o u g h a p e r f e c t purification. [33] And be mindful of Allah's verses and the wisdom that is recited in your homes. Surely, Allah is All-Kind, All- Aware. [34]
Commentary

*

Out of the objectives of this Siirah, the most important is the stress placed on avoiding everythin; that may cause pain to the Holy Prophet %. In addition to that, there is a reiteration of instructions to obey him and seek his pleasure. Mentioned in connection with t h e event of the battle of al-AhzZb appearing immediately earlier was the pain caused to the Holy Prophet @ a t t h e hands of the disbelievers a n d hypocrites.. Along with it, also mentioned there was their ultimate disgrace and the victory and success that came to the Holy Prophet @ on every occasion. Also praised there were sincere believers who sacrificed what they had a t the instance of the Holy Prophet @ and it was said that they would have high ranks in the Hereafter. In the verses cited above, the blessed wives of the Holy Prophet @ have been particularly taught to be careful that no word or deed that

issues forth from them goes on to cause pain to him. And this is possible only when they devote themselves and become totally obedient to Allah and His Messenger. Some injunctions in this connection have been given by addressing the blessed wives directly. As for giving the choice of the taking of divorce to the blessed wives in the initial verses, it is limited to one or some incidents that came from the side of the blessed wives. These were contrary to the intent of the Holy which caused pain to him. prophet One of t h e s e incidehts i s reported from Sayyidna JEbir & a n d appears in the Sahih of Muslim and elsewhere as well. I t is said there that the blessed'wives got together and asked the Holy Prophet $ that ! $ their sustenance allowance should be increased. AbC HayyEn explains it in Tagsir al-Bahr ul-Muh;! by saying that the victories of BanG Nadir and Banii Quraizah after the battle of al-AhzEb coupled with the distribution of spoils had generated a certain improved economic well-being among common Muslims. At t h a t time, the blessed wives thought t h e Holy Prophet % would have also set aside a share for himself in the spoils. Therefore, they appealed to him jointly saying, "ERasulallah, these wives of Cyrus and Caesar are laden with all sorts of valuable ornaments and dresses and have maids appointed to serve them while you see how hungry and ill-clad we are. Therefore, some liberal treatment in our case seems to be in order now." When the Holy Prophet % heard this demand from the blessed wives that they should be treated a t par with the life styles of kings and the worldly-wise rich, he was grieved about how much they had missed to appreciate t h e worth a n d value of living in t h e home of a prophet of Allah. On t h e i r p a r t , t h e blessed wives never t h o u g h t t h a t t h e i r submission would cause pain to him. I t was simply because of t h e well-being of common Muslims around them that they had also thought of the same for themselves. Abii HayyZn says that the description of this incident after the battle of al-AhzEb also supports the likelihood that this very demand of the wives became the cause of the choice of divorce given to them. According to some Hadith narratives, following t h e event of - which having a honey drink while a t the home of Sayyidah Zainab will appear in detail later under the commentary on SZrah At-Tahgm, 66:l-5, in Ma'ariful-Qur'an, Volume VIII - a situation created by the mutual

sense of importance among the blessed wives became the cause of this choice of divorce. If both of these happened close in time to each other, then, it is also not remote to believe that they both could be the cause. But, t h e words of t h e Verse of choice(') a r e more supportive of t h e understanding that some financial demand had become its cause - for i t , >, > was said in this verse: Gjj ih i g l Siy i (If you intend (to have the ! pleasure of) worldly life and its charm - 28).

2

This verse gave all blessed wives of the Holy Prophet % the choice to either accept to continue living with him as their husband i n the condition he is in (that is, in his straightened economic condition), or become free from him through divorce. If they were to take the first option, they will deserve greater reward and higher ranks in the Hereafter a s compared to other women. And if they were to take the second option, t h a t is, taking a divorce, they will not have to face any displeasure a s customary with worldly people. I n fact, they would be given a send-off with honor, and parting gifts in accordance with Sunnah. Tirmidhi reports from Umm al-Mu'minh Sayyidah 'A'ishah LW cr"~, "When this verse of choice was revealed, the Holy Prophet % disclosed it to me before any other wife. Before reciting the verse, h e said: I am going to tell you something. But, you do not have to make haste i n giving your response. You should r a t h e r consult your parents a n d t h e n respond. Sayyidah 'A'ishah says, "This was his special favour to me that he prohibited me from expressing my opinion without having consulted my parents first, because he was certain that my parents would never advise me to opt for separation from the Holy Prophet %. When I heard this verse, I immediately submitted before him, "Do I have to go a n d consult my p a r e n t s i n t h i s m a t t e r ? As for me, I choose Allah a n d His Messenger and the Home of the Hereafter." Then, after me, this command of the Qur'an was announced to all blessed wives. All of them said what I had said first ( t h a t is, none of t h e m elected to have worldly affluence against the honor of being the wives of the Holy Prophet %." (Tirmidhi

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said: This Hadith is Hasan Sahih).
(1).The 'Verse of Choice' is the title of the verse 29 cited above where the blessed

wives of the Holy Prophet% are given a choice either to seek divorce from him or to remain with him, seeking the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger.

Special Note
Choice of Divorce can be given to a woman in two different forms: (1) That the power of divorce is entrusted with the woman, that is, if she wishes, she can divorce her self and become free. (2) That the power of giving divorce, though, remains in the hands of the husband, yet the husband gives her a promise that when she will wish, he will divorce her. (in the first case, as soon as the wife opts for divorce, she becomes divorced automatically without any act on the part of the husband. But in the latter case, divorce is not effected merely by the woman opting for i t unless the husband divorces her. In the case of the cited verse (28), some commentators are of the view that the choice given to the wives of the Holy Prophet was of the first form, while others have maintained that it was of the second form. The esteemed author of BayZn ul-Qur'Zn has commented that the verse has both probabilities. U n t i l one of t h e two s t a n d s determined on t h e authority of some definitive text, there is no need to determine any form on one's own.'

Ruling
This verse (28) tells u s when there i s no congruity between t h e temperaments of the married couple, the desirable approach is to give the wife t h e option to live with t h e husband while being content with whatever s t a t e h e i s in, otherwise, s h e should be allowed t o leave honorably according to Sunnah with divorce and gift of pairs of apparel. I n this case, w h a t can be proved from t h e cited verse (28) i s i t s desirability only. There is no proof to support its obligation. Some leading Muslim jurists have argued in favour of the obligatory n a t u r e of this verse and, on the same basis, they have given the wife of a penniless man, who is incapable of providing living expenses for her, the right to secure a divorce from the court. Full details of this issue have been given in AhkZm ul-Qur'an, Part V, under this very verse.

The particular position of the blessed wives and the rationale of hard restrictions placed on them . .. .,. 1 *#.1 .&.
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0 wives of the Prophet, whoever from among you will commit a clearly shameful act, the punishment will be doubled for her. And it is easy for Allah to do so. [30] And whoever of you stays obedient to Allah and His messenger, and acts righteously, We shall give her twice her reward, and We have prepared for her a prestigious provision. [31]

From t h e above verses we notice t h a t the Qur'iin mentions therein a particular position of the blessed wives: If they were to commit some sin, they will have to face a punishment which will be twice t h a t of other women. In other words, one sin committed by them will be made to stand for two. Similarly, if they did good deeds, the reward given t o them will also be twice that of other women - that is, one good deed done by them will stand for two. In a way, this verse is a recompense of what the blessed wives did a t the time of the revelation of the Verse of Choice whereupon they chose to remain wedded to:the Holy Prophet and sacrificed whatever material benefits there were in doing otherwise. I n return for this, Allah Ta'5lE gave one good deed done by them the status of two. As for the two-fold punishment in t h e event of some sin from them, t h a t too came to be because of their special superiority and distinctive gentleness and because it stands proved both rationally and textually that Divine punishment for heedlessness and rebellion does increase in proportion to the honor and regard in which one is held. Certainly great a r e the blessings of Allah Ta'ElZ upon t h e blessed wives. Allah Ta'ZlZ chose them to be the wives of His Rasiil. The Divine Revelation kept descending in their homes. Under such arrangements, is it not that the least error or shortcoming on their part would be nothing but big? And if, pain is caused to the Holy Prophet a t the hands of others, then, it would be far more severe in effect that some such occasion of pain or discomfort issues forth from their side. The very words of the Qur'an: 2 & d $ilj (And be mindful of Allah's verses and the wisdom that is recited in your homes) appearing in verse 34 point out to this reason.

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Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 28 - 34

136

Special Note Looked a t in terms of the Muslim community a t large, this distinction of the blessed wives - that they receive a two-fold reward of their deed does not make it necessary that no individual or group is not to be blessed with a two-fold reward for some distinction of theirs. For example, there is the case of those from among the people of the Book who embraced Islam. >, ,i Z ' , 3{ About them, it was said in the Qur'iin: w-2 rs7, d;I$ ,j (Such people will be given their reward twice - al-Qayas, 2854).
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I n t h e blessed letter the Holy Prophet wrote to t h e Byzantine Emperor, it was because of this Qur'iinic statement that he particularly wrote: Jgi $1 &$ (you will be given your reward twice by Allah). As for the clarification of 'giving a reward twice' to the people of the Book who embrace Islam, it is already present in the Qur'iin. Then, there is yet another HadTth where a similar two-fold reward has been mentioned for three persons. Details about it appear in the commentary on Siirah >S '* >, >i al-Qayay under the verse: 2 y y ~ (will be given their reward twice 3 J$ 28:54) in Volume VI of TafsIr Ma'ariful-Qur'iin.

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The reward for the good deed of an 'Alirn exceeds that of others, and the punishment of his sin too In AhkEm ul-Qur'iin, Imam Abii Bakr al-JaysZy has said: The reason for which Allah Ta'Zlii has declared the reward of the good deed of the blessed wives to be two-fold and the punishment of their disobedience also to be two-fold - i.e. their being the special recipients of t h e prophetic knowledge and Divine revelation--- is also present there in the case of Muslim religious scholars (the 'ulama' of din). Therefore, a n 'Alim (Muslim religious scholar) whose practice is in accord with his 'ilrn (knowledge) will find t h e reward of t h a t deed of his to be more t h a n others. And if he were to commit some sin, the punishment too will be more than others.
The word: L&G fihishah) appearing in: $&I-" - 30) is used in the Arabic language for acts of shame as well as for disobedience and sin in a n absolute sense. This word has been used in the Qur'En a t many places. In this verse, this word cannot be taken to mean acts of shame because Allah Ta'ElZ h a s kept the wives of all His prophets immune from this serious fault. None of t h e wives of t h e blessed prophets h a s ever committed a n y act of this nature. The wives of Sayyidnii Liit a n d

Sayyidnii NZh iXJl k9jc deviated from t h e faith preached by them, rebelled, and were punished for it. But, none of them was ever charged of committing a n act of shame. As for the blessed wive's of the Holy Prophet there was absolutely no probability that any such act of immodesty will ever issue forth from them. Therefore, the word: f i h i s h a h i n this verse means common sins or the causing of pain and discomfort to the Holy Prophet @. Then the word: (mubayyinah: open, clear, manifest) used here along with G G is an'evidence in support, because acts of shamelessness a r e not 'mubayyinah'( clear, manifest) anywhere. That takes place secretly. So, the expression: ( clearly shameful act) means common sins, or the causing of pain to the Holy Prophet Out of the Tafsir authorities, Muqatil Ibn Sulaiman has declared that the sense of 'shameful act' in this verse is either disobeying the Holy Prophet or demanding something from him the fulfillment of which is hard on him.

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(Reported by a l - ~ a i h ain As-Sunan) ~i

I t will be noticed that the two-fold punishment has been identified by the Qur'Zn only with 'clearly shameful act'. But, for the two-fold reward, it has imposed several restrictions, as in: q d p j j,j J! & G: >j ,s ,, , ,*, ,' F-Y bflI 49 (And whoever of you s t a y s obedient to Allah a n d His messenger, and acts righteously, We shall give her twice her reward-- 31). Here, quniit, that is, staying obedience to Allah and His Messenger is a condition. Then, acting righteously is yet another condition. The reason is that reward comes only when obedience is perfect while, for punishment, even a single sin is enough.

Special Instructions given to the Blessed Wives Before we describe these instructions in details as they appear from , , *, -, the next verse: J$+ ,; b;% 91 3 & ( L i ;! ,-GI I I3 ; (0 wives of I . & the prophet, you are not like any other women, if you bbserve tapwii. So, do not be too soft in your speech ... 32), it will be useful to recollect that, in the previous verses, the blessed wives have been restrained from placing demands before the Holy Prophet g,the fulfillment of which will be hard on him, or those which may be inappropriate i n view of h i s high prophetic station. And once they have chosen to live in that arrangement, their status was raised higher than other women to the extent that one deed done by them was made to stand for two. Now, in and onwards from verse 32, they have been given some instructions in order to correct and
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groom their conduct a s appropriate for wives living with the Holy Prophet Though, all these instructions are not restricted to the blessed wives in particular, in fact, virtually all Muslim women are obligated to observe these. But, a t this place, the blessed wives have been addressed specially to bring it to their attention that they should make it a point to observe these rules of conduct that apply to all Muslim women as incumbent and obligatory - more avidly a s compared t o others. I t i s t h i s kind of particularity that is meant by the expression: 5 1 63 - 3 4 (you are not like any other women - 32).

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Are the blessed wives superior to all women of the world? The arrangement of these words in t h e verse seems to obviously suggest that the blessed wives & are superior to the women of , the whole world. But, in the verse of the Qur'Zn about Sayyidah Maryam r r i i w, has been said: 3 & 3;$ . ; it 1 &A $3; ; (Allah ! has chosen you and purified you and chosen you over the women of all the worlds - ' A l - ' ~ m r ~ 3:42). This proves the superiority of Sayyidah n, Maryam over the women of all the worlds. Then, there is the Hadith of SayyidnZ Anas & in Tirmidhi where the Holy Prophet g h a s been reported to have said, 'Sufficient for you (to hold in esteem) out of all women are: Maryam daughter of 'ImrZn, Khadijah daughter of Khuwailid (Urnrnul- Mu'rninin), FZtimah daughter of Muhammad and 'Asiyah wife of the Pharaoh.' In this Hadith, three other women along with Sayyidah Maryam have been identified as superior to women of all the worlds.
Therefore, the superiority or precedence of the blessed wives described in this verse occurs here in itk special status, that is, the status of their being the wives and women of the Holy Prophet g , the status in which they are doubtlessly superior to women of all the worlds. However, it does not prove t h e kind of universally absolute superiority which may be counter to other nusus (textual authority). (Mazhari) Soon after the opening sentence of verse 32: 5 q l 6 3 (you are not like any other woman), there appears the condition of: ; (if you l ! observe TaqwZ). This condition refers to the superiority they have been blessed with by Allah Ta'ZlZ because of their being women and wives of the Prophet g . The purpose thereby is to caution them against relying solely on this relationship of theirs with the Prophet &. that they are,

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after all, t h e wives of t h e Messenger of Allah. Instead of t h a t , this superiority is based on the condition that they observe TaqwZ and obey Divine injunctions. (Qurtub; and Mazhari) After that, some instructions have been given to the blessed wives

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The First Instruction It relates to restrictions on the modality of voice and speech as part of the rules of hijab or pardah applicable to women and begins with the ,, , % (SOdo not be too soft in your speech- 32). I t means, words: ~ $ , , 6 even if there be the need to talk to someone who is not a mahram from behind a screen (or something else obstructing the view), even then, while speaking, effort should be made to avoid the delicacy and grace in diction n a t u r a l l y p r e s e n t i n t h e voice of women. T h e delicacy a n d grace mentioned here refer to a certain level of softness which might make some inclination rise in the heart of the addressee as stated immediately after: 6 $3$ ; ; A 2 241 (lest someone having disease in his heart ; should develop fancies (about you); and do speak with appropriate words. - 32) The sense is that one should not talk softly in a manner t h a t would cause temptation and tilt in a person who already has some disease in his heart. Disease means hypocrisy, or its offshoots. That a real hypocrite will be so tempted is all too obvious. But, a person who, despite being a sincere believer, inclines towards something unlawful may not be a hypocrite but weak in faith he certainly is. And this weakness in faith which makes one tilt towards the unlawful is really nothing but a n offshoot of hypocrisy. With faith being pure and having not the least element of hypocrisy in it, no one can ever tilt towards what is haram, unlawful. (Mazhari)
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In essence, the aim of the first instruction is to empower women to achieve the high station of self-protection from non-Mahram men through personal avoidance and legal hijab so that they do not go even near a non-Mahram weak in faith lest some temptation or tilt creeps into his heart. A detailed discussion of the hijab of women will appear within this SGrah under the verses that follow. Being given a t this point is simply a n explanation of what has appeared here as part of the special instructions for the blessed wives. So, once the noble mothers of t h e believers had heard t h e instruction about speech or address, some of them were so alerted t h a t they, while t a l k i n g t o a non-Mahram m a l e a f t e r t h e

revelation of this verse, used to put their hand over their mouth so that their voice would change. Therefore, it appears in a Hadith of Sayyidna 'Amr Ibn a]-'&; ,, iiil+ :-GI $! $j & $1 5~ (The Holy Prophet $ had prohib;ted t h a t women talk without the'permission of & their spouses) (Reported by at-Tabarani with 'good' chain of authority, ~a~hari)

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Ruling At least this much stands proved from this verse, and from the Hadith quoted above, that the voice of a woman is not included under satr, that is, under what must be concealed. But, a precautionary restriction has been placed here too. Then, consideration has also been given in religious injunctions and acts of worship that women do not talk a t a high pitch that could be heard by men. If the Imam makes a mistake, those following him in the congregation a r e duty-bbund to interrupt a n d correct him verbally. But, women have been taught that, instead of correcting the Imam verbally, they should simply clap by striking one hand over the back of the other so that the Imam is alerted. They have to say nothing verbally. The Second Instruction This concerns the observance of full hijab ( p u r d a h or veil). I t was ,3,: , . said: J Y (And remain in your homes, and do not display (your) beauty as it used to be displayed i n the days of earlier ignorance - 33). Here, the expression: J I $ (the days of ; $ 4 1 earlier ignorance ) means the Jahiliyyah which prevailed in the world before the advent of Islam. Embedded in this expression is the hint that later than it there is to come yet another Jahiliyyah, a period of another ignorance in which a similar display of immodesty a n d disregard for proper covering of bodies would become rampant. That, probably, is the Jahiliyyah of modern times, something visible everywhere.
In this verse, the essential injunction about hijab is that women stay a t home (that is, do not go out without the need a s admissible in t h e Shari'ah). Along with it, it was also said t h a t they should not go out moving around in public without hijab, a s it used to be t h e wont of women in t h e earlier period of Jahiliyyah. The word: if;: (tabarruj) essentially means manifestation or display and, a t this place, it means the display of personal embellishment before non-Mahram men - as it appears

in another verse:
24:60).

&,, ++,,' (not displaying embellishment - A n - K r , I; , 2
a , ' ,

As said earlier, a full discussion of the hijab or pardah of women and the injunctions related with it will follow within this SGrah. Our present comments shall remain restricted to the explanation of the cited verse. The verse tells us two things about hijab:
(1) For women, the real thing desirable with Allah is that they should not go out of their homes. Their creation is a n answer to whatever needs to be done a t home. Let them stay involved in it. As for the real hijab desirable i n t h e Shari'ah, it is a hijab t h a t s t a n d s achieved by their staying a t home, that is, the home becomes their veil or cover ( 0 3 6 S&: al-hijab-bil-buyut).

(2) The other thing it tells us is: If a woman has to go out of the home to t a k e c a r e of some need, l e t h e r not go o u t with a n y display of embellishment. Instead, she should wear what covers her whole body, a burqa', or jilbiFb (women's gown, garment or cloak) - as in .the verse of , , $ t h i s v e r y S i i r a h Al-AhzZb: %& 3 %; ( b r i n g d o w n o v e r themselves part of their outer garments - 33:59), the details about which shall appear later, insha'Allah TaZlE.
*

Occasions of need have been exempted from the obligation of 'staying in homes.'
In the opening sentence of verse 33: $ , j (And remain in your : ' ; homes), staying in homes was made obligatory (wajib) which apparently purports that it should be absolutely prohibited and haram for a woman to go out of her home, but verse has, a t the first place, already indicated ,, ' through the use of the words: 3 2 Y; (And do not display your beauty) within this verse that going out as needed is not prohibited in a n absolute sense. Instead, w h a t i s prohibited is going out i n a m a n n e r which ,'* , ,, , displays embellishment. Then, there is t h e injunction of: &kk &&% (bring down over themselves part of their outer garments - 33:59) , , to appear later in SGrah Al-AhzZb. This injunction is itself telling us that to a certain degree women do have the permission to go out of the home, of course on condition that they go out in hijab wearing a n outer garment like burqa' etc.
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I n addition to that, t h e Holy Prophet

h a s himself clarified t h a t

occasions of need are exempt from this injunction, as in a Hadith where, i ;?i 3 while addressing the blessed wives, he is reported to have said: ;

3

Musllrn). Then, the conduct of the Holy Prophet

(You a r e permitted to go out for your needs - reported by after the revelation of the verse of hijab proves that women have the permission to go out of homes on occasions of need, as the going of the blessed wives with the Holy Prophet @ for Hajj and 'Umrah stands confirmed on the authority of sound and authentic AhZdith. Similarly, their going with him in many battles stands proved. Then, there are many narrations of HadTth which b also prove that the blessed wives ; r p, used to go out of their hornes to visit their parents, did their duty by calling on the sick among relatives a n d offering condolence on t h e d e a t h of someone among them. rind during the blessed time of the Prophet they also had the permission to go to the Masajid.

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And not only t h a t it happened in the company of the Holy Prophet @ or in his time alone, but even after his passing away, i t is a confirmed fact t h a t t h e all his blessed wives went for Hajj a n d 'Umrah - with t h e a exception of Sayyidah S a u d a h k hl pJn d Sayyidah Zainab bint l etc. No reproach or disapproval (nakEIr) thereupon has Jahsh Cgcc d been reported from any of the noble Sahabah. I n fact, SayyidnZ 'Umar & s e n t t h e blessed wives of t h e Messenger of Allah for Hajj u n d e r arrangements specially made for them - h e s e n t SayyidnZ 'UthmZn al-Ghani & and Sayyidna 'Abd ur-RahmZn Ibn al-'Awf & with them to supervise a n d manage their pilgrimage. And a s for t h e incidence of ~ m m u l - M u ' m i n i nSayyidah Saudah and Sayyidah Zainab bint J a h s h hi HJnot going for Hajj and 'Umrah after the passing away of the noble Prophet it was not on the basis of this verse, instead, it was on the basis of a Hadith. T h a t is, when on t h e occasion of t h e Last Hajj helped his blessed wives perform (Hajjatul-Wadaa'), the Holy Prophet their Hajj with him personally, the remark that he made on return was: 41 ?* is it. After that, should stick to the mats a t home). The ;j$ (This first word: (hadhihi: translated here as 'this is it1)refers to this very Hajj and $ (husur) is the plural form of , G (has%) which means a mat (of straw, a modest version of other floor spreads such a s rug, carpet, daree etc.). In essence, the Hadith is saying: Your going out for this alone is done. After t h a t , you stick to t h e m a t s of your homes necessarily

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having to part therefrom. Sayyidah Saudah bint Zam'ah &I and Sayyidah Zainab bint J a h s h took this Hadith to mean: 'Your going out was permissible for this very Last Hajj. Beyond that, it is not.' The other blessed wives - including a jurist of the class of Sayyidah 'Rishah igr hi & - unanimously interpreted these words of the Holy , Prophet to mean t h a t 'your going out of your homes is permissible for this kind of journey which a i m s a t performing a recognized act of worship, otherwise you should stay a t home' In gist, from the sense of the ' verse: > % (And remain in your homes - 33) - a s supported by the : indicators of t h e Qur'Zn, t h e practice of t h e Holy Prophet % a n d t h e consensus of the noble SahZbah - occasions of need are exempted which include religious obligations of Hajj a n d 'Umrah, t a k i n g c a r e of t h e natural duties towards parents, visiting Mahram relatives i n health and sickness and attending to other requirements of this nature. Similarly, if a woman h a s no a r r a n g e m e n t for h e r living expenses, t h e n , it i s also permissible for her to go out in hijZb in order to earn a n honorable living. However, going out on occasions of need is subject to the condition that one does not go out to display personal embellishment. I n s t e a d , one should go out properly covered with burqa' or jilbab (full m a n t l e or chadar).

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The offensive lapses of the Rawafid about the journey of Ummul-Mu'mInin Sayyidah 'Eishah d l to Bagrah and the event of the battle ~f Jamal:

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I t h a s been made amply clear i n t h e previous paragraph t h a t t h e 3 ' , . ,,' sense of t h e imperative of $ ; : % 'remain i n your homes' (33) a s proved from the very indicators, rather, expressions of the Qur'Zn, a s well a s from t h e practice of t h e Holy Prophet $ a n d after him from t h e $ ! consensus of the noble SahZbah, it is confirmed that occasions of need are exempt from i t - which includes going for religious needs of Hajj a n d 'Umrah etc. Sayyidah ' x i s h a h along with Sayyidah Umm Salamah and Sayyidah Safiyyah, may Allah be pleased with all of them, had gone for % Hajj. There they heard about the martyrdom of SayyidnZi 'UthmZn 4 and about t h e incidents of rebellion against him. They were intensely grieved. The apprehension of a n ill-omened disorder counter to unity among Muslims w a s weighing heavy on t h e i r minds. U n d e r t h e s e circumstances, say$dnFi Talhah, Zubair, Nu'mZn Ibn Bashir, Ka'b Ibn
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'Ujrah a n d some o t h e r noble S a h a b a h escaped from M a d i n a h a n d reached Makkah al-Mu'azzamah because the killers of SayyidnZ 'Uthman & wanted to kill them too. These people were not with the rebels. In fact, they had tried to dissuade them from acting in that manner. So, as they were after them a s well, these people saved their lives by escaping to Makkah al-Mu'azzamah. Once there, they presented themselves before , Ummul-Mu'minin Sayyidah 'A'ishah &dl & a n d sought h e r good counsel. She advised them not to go to Madinah until such time the rebels a r e gathered around SayyidnZ 'Ali 4 a n d h e is exercising r e s t r a i n t $ a g a i n s t t a k i n g Qisas (retaliation) from t h e m , l e s t t h e s i t u a t i o n is aggravated further. In this situation, they should go to live for a few days a t a place where they find themselves safe a n d t h e Amir al-Mu'minin succeeds in controlling the law and order situation in Madinah. As for making whatever efforts they can, the best they can do is to try that these people converged around the Amir al-Mu'minin get scattered and he is enabled to exercise his authority to exact QisZs (retaliation) or revenge from them. To this, they agreed and thought of leaving for Basrah because a t that time Muslim forces were converged there. Once their plan to go was firm, they also requested Ummul-Mu'minin Sayyidah 'A'ishah ++s 2, to stay a t Basrah along with them until such time that the government resumes its normal function. And the fact of the power and dominance of the killers of SayyidnZ 'Uthman, a s well as of the leaders of disorder, and the lack of SayyidnZ 'Ali's power to enforce t h e Islamic legal punishment against t h e m is something clearly proven from the report of Nahjul-BalZghah itself.'" I t should be borne i n mind t h a t Nahjul-BalEghah i s r e g a r d e d to b e authentic by Shiites. I t appears in Nahjul-BaZghah: 'To the noble Amir (Amiy al-Mu'minin SayyidnZ 'Ali &), some of h i s companions a n d colleagues themselves said: If you punish t h e people who a t t a c k e d 'UthmZn &, i t will be better. Thereupon, t h e noble Amir said: My brother, I am not unaware of this thing you are talking about. But, how can this be done when these very people are there all over Madinah - and your slaves a n d t h e Bedouins of the adjoining areas have also joined
(1)Nahjul-BalZghah is a compilation of the lectures of Sayyidna 'All & held by

the Shiites as authentic.

them. If, under these circumstances, I were to issue the orders for their punishment, how would these be implemented?

l realized the helplessness of On one side, Sayyidah 'A'ishah L g s d d J Sayyidnii 'Ali & in this matter while, on the other, she also knew that t h e h e a r t s of Muslims were wounded i n t h e face of t h e shahadah of Sayyidna 'Uthmiin &. Moreover, the delay in taking the due revenge from his killers on the part of Sayyidnii 'Ali & was being watched a s his h e l p l e s s n e s s w h i l e t h e k i l l e r s of SayyidnZ 'Uthmiin a l s o u s e d t o participate in the meetings of the Amir al-Mu'minin. People who were not aware of his helplessness had found their reason for complaint against him as well. I t was possible that this kind of complaint may trigger some other trial. Therefore, i t was to exhort people to observe patienc:, to strengthen the hands of Amir al-Mu'minin for the purpose of stabilizing the rule of law in the state, to remove mutual complaints and to achieve the objective of making things work better among people t h a t Sayyidah 'xishah d dJ l decided to embark on the journey to Basrah. In this journey, her Mahram nephew, SayyidnZ 'Abdullah Ibn Zubair & and others were with her. She had herself stated the purpose of this journey before Sayyidna Qa'qa' & as it would appear later. And it is also obvious that the mission of conciliation and betterment among believers a t the time of such a terrible trial was really a significant religious service. If, for this purpose, t h e Ummul-Mu'minin took to t h e journey of Basrah while accompanied by her Mahrams and seated in a metal-framed camel litter, why would the Shiites and RawZfid raise such a dust storm about it and say t h a t t h e Ummul-Mu'minin contravened t h e injunctions of the Qur'iin? What justification is there for it?

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L a t e r on t h e w a r - l i k e s i t u a t i o n , created by t h e mischief of t h e hypocrites and the agent provocateurs of disorder, was something even the thought of which had never crossed the mind of Sayyidah 'A'ishah +AwP,. For t h e explanation of t h i s verse, t h i s much i s enough. Onwards from here, this is not the occasion for going into the details of the event of the battle of Jamal. But, in order to make the reality clear in brief, a few lines follow. Circumstances that one confronts in this world a t the time of mutual discord simply cannot be neglected by people of insight and experience. The same circumstances developed here too when the journey of Basrah

Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 28 - 34

146

undertaken by Sayyidah 'A'ishah dl &J in the company of the noble Sahiibah who had come from Madinah was reported before SayyidnZ 'Ali . . & in a totally deformed manner by the hypocrites and the manipulators of disorder. The version they gave to him was that all those people were to going to B a ~ r a h join up with forces stationed there and from where they would come out to confront him. If he was the Am& of the time, they instigated, it was his duty to preempt this threat and stop them by going to where they were, lest the danger increases any further. There were noble SahSibah of the stature of Sayyidnii Hasan and Husain, 'Abdulliih Ibn Ja'far and 'AbdullZh Ibn 'AbbZs 1+-dl d J who even differed with this line of action. The advice they gave was t h a t h e should not throw his forces against them until such time t h a t h e h a d t h e correct assessment of t h e prevailing situation before him. But, t h e majority present there was of those who had tendered the first option. Sayyidna 'Ali &, also tilting towards the same option, came out with the armed forces, and along with him, came these wicked votaries of disorder and rebellion. When these gentlemen reached the environs of Basrah, they s e n t Sayyidnii Qa'qa' & to Ummul-Mu'minin Sayyidah 'A'ishah +-dl 2, to find out the circumstances of her visit. They asked her, '0 Mother of the Believers, what was the reason that brought you here?' Sayyidah 'A'ishah said, jGjl2 2 (My dear son, [I am here to seek nothing but] the 7 betterment of relations between people)'. Then, she also called SayyidnZ Talhah and Sayyidn5 Zubair LLgi pi this meeting with SayyidnZ in Qa'qZ' &. He asked them, 'What do you want?' They submitted, 'We want nothing but that the Islamic legal punishment be enforced against the killers of 'UthmZn &.I In response, SayyidnZ Qa'qa' & explained by saying, 'This thing cannot be done until Muslim forces a r e organized and firmly established. Therefore, at this time, it is necessary t h a t you take to a stance of conciliation.' These blessed souls submitted to the advice. Sayyidnii Qa'qa' & went to SayyidnZ 'Ali & and told him about it. He too was very pleased, and satisfied. Everyone decided to go back. For three days, they stayed on the camping grounds i n a s t a t e t h a t no one h a d a n y doubt a b o u t t h e forthcoming declaration of truce between the two parties. And, on t h e fourth day, this announcement was going to be made a n d a meeting

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between SayyidnZ 'Ali G$% and Sayyidna Talhah and Zubair was due to take place - in which these killers of SayyidnZ 'UthmZn & were not included. This thing was too hard for them to take. They made a plan. They told their colleagues, 'First you go into the group around Sayyidah 'A'ishah and unleash a spate of killing and pillage so t h a t she and her compatriots think that the pledge was broken from the side of SayyidnZ 'Ali, as a result of which, becoming victims of this misunderstanding, they would hurl themselves against the armed forces of SayyidnZ 'All.' This satanic device engineered by them worked. So, when the attack on the group accompanying Sayyidah 'A'ishah Q d J came from the side of the agents of disorder who had infiltrated the forces of SayyidnZ 'Ali &, they were excusable in taking this attack to have come from the forces of the Amir al-Mu'minin - and thus began their counter action i n defence. When SayyidnZ 'All & saw this state of affairs, he had no option left but to fight. And the unintended mishap of mutual infighting t h a t was to i d! ! I t is exactly like this that this event has occur did occur. d>; been reported by a t - T a b a r i a n d other reliable h i s t o r i a n s from t h e narrations of Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn Ja'far, SayyidnZ 'Abdullah Ibn 'AbbZs and others 1+hi , . (REh ul-~a'Zni)

4

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In short, as a result of the wickedness of the agent provocateurs of disorder, this event of fighting between two revered groups came to pass unconsciously. And when this fitnah subsided, these very two revered personalities were the ones who were intensely grieved over it. Sayyidah 'A'ishah @ d dJ, l when recalled this event, would weep so much that her scarf became all wet with her tears. Similarly, SayyidnZ 'All & was also terribly shocked over t h i s event. When, a f t e r t h e fitnah h a d subsided, he went to see the dead bodies of those killed, he beat his thighs with his hands and said, 'Would th&, much before this happened, I were dead, forgotten, lost!'

d , And according to some narrations, when Sayyidah 'A'ishah + l & would recite the verse: 2 ( And stay in your homes - 33) in the Holy Qur'Zn, she used to break into tears until her scarf would be all wet with t e a r s . (Reported by 'Abdullah Ibn Ahmad in Zawg'iduz-Zuhd and Ibn ul-Mundhir and Ibn ~ b Shaibah from MasrEq,RGh ul-~a'zn:) i
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That she wept on the recital of the cited verse was neither because the contravention of the command of 'staying in homes' was a sin i n her sight

nor because the journey was prohibited. Instead of all that, the serious and unwelcome event that came to pass was the cause of her natural r grief. (All these narrations and the subject matter have been taken from ~ a f s i REh
Ui-~a'Zni)

The third, fourth and fifth instruction of the Qur'Zn to the blessed wives
Two instructions have appeared in detail earlier. They related to the avoidance of addressing non-Mahram men softly a n d tenderly a n d of going out of homes unnecessarily. Now, the other three instructions are ig>i 21; ;ji; i01 contained in the next sentence of verse 33: h~ 4I; jr ; (and establish SalZh, a n d pay ZakZh, a n d obey Allah a n d His MesaSnger). These are a total of five instructions. For women, these are matters of great consequences.

These five instructions apply to all Muslims universally
At least in the case of the later instructions mentioned above, no one can presume that they could be special to the blessed wives. These are SalZh, ZakZh and Obedience to Allah and His Messenger. How can any Muslim anywhere be taken a s exempted from these? As for the first two instructions which r e l a t e to t h e h i j a b or pardah of women, a l i t t l e deliberation would make i t clear t h a t they too a r e not special to t h e blessed wives. I n fact, the same injunction applies to all Muslim women. The only question that has to be answered is that the Holy Qu.r'Zn has said before these instructions,: a! $3 (32) that is, the blessed wives are not like common Gomen, if they take to Taqwa. This sentence apparently indicates to the speciality of t h e blessed wives. A clear answer to this doubt is that the speciality seen here does not mean that these injunctions are restricted to them, instead, it revolves round the care and concern to be observed in acting in accordance with them. In other words, it means that the blessed wives are not like common women, because the state of their dignity is the highest of all. Therefore, they should show the highest care and concern for following the injunctions made obligatory for all Muslim women. And Allah subhanahu wa TaElG knows best.

3 1

9

We now move to the last sentence of verse 33 which says: hi $ ; -3 (Allah only intends to keep ( all sorts -. of) filth away from you, 0 members of the family (of the prophet), and to

,$ $$; dl 22, $i

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4

make you pure through a perfect purification. - 33). I n the verses previous to this, the instructions given to the blessed wives by addressing them directly were, though, not special to them in person, rather, the entire Muslim community is obligated with these injunctions, yet t h e blessed wives were addressed particularly for the reason that they, i n consonance with their dignity and the sanctity of the home of the Prophet, would be showing a d d e d c a r e a n d concern for d e e d s t h a t m a t c h t h e i r two singularities. Given in this verse is the wisdom of this particular address, t h a t is, by t h e special instruction of t h e b e t t e r m e n t of deeds, Allah intends to bless the household of the Messenger of Allah with a n ideal state of purity by removing everything counter to it.
The word: (ar-rijs) h a s been used i n t h e Qur'Zn for several >', ' meanings. At one place, ar-rijs has appeared in the sense of idols: I p b JG;~l 2 (So refrain from t h e filth of idols - 22:30) a n d on other occasions, it is used in the sense of sin in absolute terms and a t times it is employed to carry the meaning of punishment or impurity or filth. The outcome is t h a t everything which is legally or naturally (or rationally) considered detestable is ar-rijs. I n the present verse, the word: &>I (arrijs) appears in this very general sense. (Al-Bahr u l - ~ u h ? $ )
: Ah1 al-Bayt: People of the House" signify in What does this verse? In verses appearing earlier in the present sequence, the address was to the blessed wives of the Holy Prophet $, therefore, the form used was i n t h e feminine gender. H e r e , t h e expression: d $ (ah1 al-bayt) l includes, along with the blessed wives, their children and fathers as well, therefore, the form used was in the masculine gender, that is: $s (from you) and: (purifies you). And some Tafsir authorities take 'ah1 al-bayt' to mean the blessed wives only. 'Ikrimah and MuqZtil have said exactly this. And SayyidnZ Sa'id Ibn Jubayr & has reported the same narration from SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas & saying that he has declared 'ah1 al-bayt' in this verse to mean the blessed wives and then cited the next -' ,,, ;% &-L aJiij (and remember what is recited in your homes, verse: -34) as proof (because the address here is to the blessed wives only, as is evident from t h e feminine gender used i n t h e v e r s e a n d from t h e , i And the words reference to their homes.) [reportedby 1 b n ~ bHZtim and 1bn ~arG). of t h e a d d r e s s : 31i-G 0 women [wives] of t h e p r o p h e t ) i n t h e ,, (

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immediately previous verses a r e also i t s contextual evidence. Early commentator 'Ikrimah ... used to go about proclaiming in the bazaars that 'ah1 al-bayt' in the verse means the blessed wives. because this verse has been revealed to highlight their dignified status and he used to say that he was ready to enter into a mubahalah* (imprecation) on it. But, several narrations of Hadith reported by Ibn KatZr a t this place bear witness t h a t Sayyidah FZtimah, SayyidnZ 'Al? and SayyidnZ Hasan and Husain 1+ dl &J are also included in 'ah1 al-bayt' - a s in a HadTth of Sahih Muslim where Sayyidah 'A'ishah d dJ l narrates: Once the Holy Prophet went out of the house with a black sheet from Byzantine wrapped around his blessed body. When Hasan Ibn 'Ali & came out, he took him inside the sheet. Then SayyidnZ Husain & came. He took him too inside the sheet in the same manner. After that, came h~ and then SayyidnZ 'Ali al-MurtadZ &.He p~ Sayyidah FZtimah also made them come inside the sheet. Thereafter, he recited the verse: d ! 1% $33 1$ >I $ ;[ s . dJ\j;(Allah only intends to keep (all ; sorts of) filth away from you, 0 members of the family (of the prophet-33). And i t also appears i n some narrations t h a t , after having recited t h e ,, , -,, a , L , 301 ?Y$i @I (0 Allah, these are members of my family) verse, he said:

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(reported by Ibn ~ a r i r )

After having reported several reliable a h a d i t h on this subject, Ibn Kathir has said: I n reality, there is no contradiction in the two sayings reported from Tafsir authorities. Those who said t h a t t h i s verse was revealed in relation to t h e high station of t h e blessed wives a n d 'ah1 al-bayt' means them does not go contrary to the possible inclusion of other people too u n d e r t h e purview of 'ah1 al-bayt.' Therefore, t h e sound position is t h a t under t h e words: 'ah1 al-bayt', t h e blessed wives a r e included i n a n y case, because they themselves a r e t h e cause of t h e revelation of this verse. And the inclusion of the direct addressees of the revelation cannot be subjected to any doubt. And Sayyidah FZtimah and 'As and Hasan and Husain too - in accordance with the +hl saying of the noble Prophet - are included in 'ah1 al-bayt.' And a t both places in this verse, before and after it, the address is to the wives of the prophet using the form of feminine gender. I n previous verses, beginning
* A form of resolving religious disputes through bi-partite invocation. For details,
please see Ma'ariful-Qur'Zn, Volume 11, pp. 90, 91.

% (So, do not be soft with your address - 32) up to the from: ~ $ 4 , , end all forms employed are feminine. Then, later on in: & G ;iYiij (and remember w h a t is recited - 34) t h e form used i n t h e a d d r e s s is i n t h e feminine gender once again. Now, when the text departs from the context in this verse (33) in between and elects to employ the form of masculine ',*'> gender as in: ('ankum) and: butahhirakum), i t also becomes a strong evidence of the fact that included here are not only the wives, but some men a s well.

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As for what has been said in the verse under study: 41 only intends to keep (all sorts of) filth away from (Allah you, 0 members of the family (of the prophet-%), it obviously means that, through t h e s e instructions, Allah Ta'ZlZ will keep t h e 'ah1 a l - b a y t ' protected against satanic instigations, sins a n d evils a n d cleanse them (tashri'i) purification pure. In short, what is meant here is legal not the creational &b;-(takwini) purification which is t h e hallmark of prophets. I t does not become necessary thereby t h a t they all be e 'rna'+Em1(infallible) and the commission of any sin by them should not be possible as is the case with the noble prophets, may peace be upon them all - which is the distinctive feature of creational purification. The people of Shiite persuasion have, by differing from the majority of the Muslim community, f i r s t of a l l claimed t h a t t h e expression: 'ah1 a l - b a y t ' is restricted to the progeny and male relatives of the Messenger and that his blessed wives a r e excluded from it. Then, they went on to declare the (tathir: purification) in the citedverse (34) a s standing for their word: L+ ( ' i ~ m a h the state of being protected, infallible) and thus made the : 'ah1 al-bayt' 4 1 (ma3Em: infallible) like prophets. This humble writer h a s given a n a n s w e r to t h i s approach a n d h a s t a k e n up t h e subject in full details i n his AhkZm ul-Qur'iin under SGrah Al-Ahz5b. This work defines : 'ismah, and proves that it is restricted to prophets and angels and t h a t no one is r&L (mabum) other than them---all this on the basis of Islamic legal arguments and proofs. People of knowledge may see it a t their discretion. Others just do not need it.

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A47 (ayatillah) in verse 34: $1 4 ' 1 3 &:'L: ;$lj The word: , j (And be mindful of Allah's verses and the wisdom t h a t is recited in , & (hikmah) means the teachings your homes) means the Qur'iin and: L and the sunnah of the noble Messenger of Allah - a s the commentators at

41

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large have explained & L : hikmah a t this place to mean sunnah. And the word: (udhkurna) could have two meanings: (1) To personally remember and be mindful of these verses and the points of wisdom, which should result in acting according to them. (2) To mention and pass on to other members of t h e Muslim community whatever of t h e Qur'Zn was revealed in their homes before them as well a s the teachings of the Holy Prophet % of which they were the recipients.
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Special Note In his AhkZm ul-Qur'Zn, Ibn al-'Arab! has said: From this verse it s t a n d s proved t h a t a person who h e a r s a verse of t h e Qur'Zn, or a statement of Hadith, is duty-bound to convey it to the Muslim ummah, so much so t h a t even t h e blessed wives were bound with t h e d u t y of conveying to members of the Muslim community whatever verses of the Qur'Zn a r e revealed i n their homes or t h e teachings t h a t they receive from the Holy Prophet %. Both were a matter of trust placed by Allah in their hands which they had to pass on to others.

The Protection of Qur'an and Hadith
The way the spreading of the message of the verses of the Qur'Zn and the making of arrangements to teach it have been made necessary for the Muslim community, it is in the same way that, by calling it hikmah, the spreading and teaching of the ahEdith of the Holy Prophet have also been made necessary (in the degree of incumbency). Therefore, the noble S a h Z b a h , m a y A l l a h b e pleased w i t h t h e m all, h a v e obeyed a n d implemented t h i s injunction u n d e r all circumstances. T h e r e i s t h i s incident related to the SayyidnZ Mu'Zdh & in the Sahih of al-BukhZri . He heard a Hadith from the Holy Prophet ,but he did not narrate it publicly for t h e reason t h a t h e feared t h a t people may not give it t h e status it deserved or may succumb to some misunderstanding. However, when came the time of his death, he assembled people around him and narrated the Hadith before them and said, 'Up to this time, I had not mentioned it before anyone because of religious expediency. But, now the time of d e a t h is near, therefore, I consider it necessary to deliver t h i s thing held in trust back to the Muslim ummah, its real owner.' The words . that is, of the statement in the Sahih al-BukhZri are: C% $$ k.k + 'Sayyidnii Mu'Zdh & made people hear this Hadith a t the time of his death lest he becomes a sinner by not having conveyed the HadTth of the

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Rascl of Allah to the Muslim ummah.'
This incident too is a n a p t testimony to t h e fact t h a t all SahZbah considered t h e implementation of this injunction of t h e Qur'Zn to be obligatory, a n d necessary. And since t h e noble S a h Z b a h h a d demonstrated the highest care and concern in conveying HadTth to people with utmost precaution, the protection of Hadith too came, i n a certain degree, fairly close to that of the Qur'Zn. Picking doubts in this matter really amounts to picking doubts in the Qur'Zn. Allah knows best.
Verse 35

Surely, Muslim men and Muslim women, believing men and believing women, devout men and devout women, t r u t h f u l men a n d truthful women, patient men a n d patient women, humble men and humble women, and the men who give sadaqah (charity) and the women who give sadaqah, a n d the men who fast a n d t h e women who fast, and the men who guard their private p a r t s (against evil acts) and the women who guard (theirs), and the men who remember Allah much and the women who remember (Him) ---- for them, Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward. [35] Commentary The Qur'Znic addresses i n masculine gender normally include women :The Wisdom behind i t In the usual injunctions of the noble Qur'an, though, both men and women have been included as addressees, but generally the address is made to men. Women are included there as a corollary. Everywhere, by ,',- ,, .s ,6,using the words: 4 6 (0 those who have believed) women have been addressed as being included and contained therein. This releases a

Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 35

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hint suggesting t h a t all matters relating to women are shielded, concealed and curtained. In this, there is honor and esteem for them. Particularly, if we were to ponder over t h e entire Qur'an, we shall discover t h a t no woman except Sayyidah Maryam bint 'Imran has been referred to by her personal name. Instead, when comes the occasion to mention them, they have been mentioned under the cover of their attribution to men, such as, '=, (the woman or wife of the Pharaoh), c j ily! (the wife of Kh) and i)%> b$ ii>! (I he wife of LC!). The exception of Sayyidah Maryam may perhaps be for tEe reason that Sayyidna ?sa could have not been attributed to any father, therefore, the attribution had to be to the mother. So, it was for this ittribution t h a t h e r name was disclosed. And i t is Allah who knows bc st.
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Though, t h i s style of t h e Qur'Zn was rooted i n g r e a t wisdom a n d expediency, yet i t was natural that women should have a feeling of some about it. Therefore, t h e r e a r e several narrations i n sort of d~scomfort Hadlth in which women have been reported to have said to t h e Holy Prophet %,"we see that Allah Ta'alii mentions only men everywhere in the Qur'Zn a n d i t is them alone t h a t He addresses. This tells u s t h a t women nave almost no good in them. We are scared about our acts of 'Ibadah May be, even that is not accepted from us (reported by a l - ~ a ~ h a w i from the blessed wives). Similar submissions of this nature from Sayyidah appear i n Tirmidhi with t h e authority Umm '1 JmZrah a l - A n ~ i i r i y y a h rating of hasan (good) and from Sayyidah Asma' bint 'Umays + hi pJ i n some o t h e r n a r r a t i o n s . And i n a l l t h e s e n a r r a t i o n s , t h i s very submission has been identified as the cause of the revelation of the verse cited above. In these verses special mention has been made of the acceptability of their deeds to mollify the hearts of women. Here, it has been made very clear that the touchstone of acceptance and appreciation with Allah Ta'alZ is the righteousness of deeds and the spirit of obedience to Him. In this, there is no discrimination between man and woman.

The Injunction of Making the Dhikr of Allah Abundantly and Its Wisdom Islam stands on five acts of 'IbEdah or worship - Saliih, ZakZh, SiyZm
(fasting), Hajj and Jihad. But, there is just no injunction in the entire Qur'Zn that commands any act of 'Ibadah from out of these to be done

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abundantly. However, the doing of the Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah (by heart or tongue) abundantly has been ordered in several verses of the Holy Qur'Zn a s in Surah Al-Anfal (8:45) and Sfirah Al-Jumu'ah (62:lO) while in the present verse of Sfirah Al-Ahzab it was said: ~ J3j1>1j I + I % I L (and t h e men remembering Allah much a n d t h e remembering ~~ women - 35).

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What is the wisdom behind it? To begin with, it can be said that the Dhikr of Allah is t h e essential spirit of all acts of worship a s i t appears in a narration of Sayyidna Mu'Zdh Ibn Anas &. Someone asked the Holy Prophet @ , " w h o from among t h e Mujahidin d e s e r v e s t h e b e s t of returns?" He said, "One who makes the Dhikr of Allah most abundantly." I t was asked a g a i n , "Who from among t h e f a s t i n g i s most r e w a r d worthy?" He said, "One who makes the Dhikr of AIlah most abundantly." Then, s i m i l a r questions were asked about SalZh, ZakZh, F a j j a n d Sadaqah. Every time he said: 'One who makes the Dhikr of Allah most abundantly,' that is, he or she is more deserving of the reward (reported by
Ahmad, from Ibn Kathir)

Secondly, it is the easiest of all acts of 'Ibadah. The Shari'ah too has placed no condition for it. Be it with wudii'or without, be it lying, sitting, or walking, the Dhikr of Allah can be done a t all times. I t demands no hard labor from anyone nor does it require any formal free time. Yet, so great is the effect and benefit of the Dhikr of Allah that, through it, even worldly chores transform into worship and religious acts. The prayers that are made before a n d after eating, on going out a n d on coming back, before travel, i n travel a n d on returning home, a n d before a n d after starting a business have all been taught to us by the Holy Prophet The outcome of this enormous1 treasure of prophetic prayers is that no Muslim should do anything a t any time while he or she may be heedless toward or negligent of Allah. And should one make it a point to recite these prayers as part of what he or she has to do in life and its work, then, dunyE becomes din,i.e. worldly duties start releasing the fragrance of faith, a wonderful experience indeed.

s.

Verses 36 - 39

And i t is not open for a believing man or a believing woman -- once Allah and His messenger have decided a t h i n g - - t h a t they should have a choice a b o u t t h e i r matter. And whoever disobeys Allah and His messenger, he indeed gets off the track, falling into an open error. [36] And (remember) when you were saying to the one who was favored by Allah and favored by you," Keep your wife to your self, and fear Allah." And you were concealing i n your h e a r t what Allah was going t o reveal. and you were fearing people, while Allah is more entitled to be feared by you. So, when Zaid finished his desire for her, We gave her into your marriage, so that t h e r e may n o t be a problem f o r t h e b e l i e v e r s i n marrying wives of their adopted sons, when they finish t h e i r desire for them. And Allah's decree h a d t o be enforced. [37] There is no problem for the prophet i n (doing) what Allah has prescribed for him, a customary practice of Allah in the case of those who have gone before--- And Allah's command is pre-determined by destiny----. [38] those who convey the messages of Allah and have awe of Him and have no awe of anyone except Allah. And Allah is sufficient t o t a k e a c c o u n t (of everyone). [39] Commentary

I t has been repeatedly explained earlier t h a t t h e majority of

injunctions appearing i n SLrah Al-AhzZb relate to t h e reverence, love and perfect obedience of t h e Holy Prophet or to t h e prohibition of causing any pain to him. The verses cited above have also been revealed in connection with some incidents of this nature. One such incident related to Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Hiirithah who was the slave of someone. I t was during the days of JZhiliyyah t h a t the Holy Prophet had bought him from the famous bazaar of 'UkZ?. He was still very young a t t h a t time. The Holy Prophet h a d freed h i m after purchasing him, and further honored him by adopting him a s his son a s was the common practice under the Arab custom of the time and went on to bring him up. I n Makkah al-Mukarramah, he was called by the name The Qur'Zn declared it to be a n erroneous of Zayd Ibn Muhammad custom of t h e Jiihiliyyah a n d prohibited the calling of t h e so-called or adopted son of a person a s h i s 'son' a n d ordered t h a t h e should be attributed to his real father. Revealed in this connection were verses that have appeared earlier within this Siirah: k > y1 (Call them by (the y yG name of) their (real) fathers - 5) After the revelation of these injunctions, the noble SahZbah abandoned the practice of calling him by the name of Zayd Ibn M u h a m m a d 4 a n d s t a r t e d a t t r i b u t i n g him to h i s f a t h e r , & HZrithah.

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A subtle point
Not even the name of the greatest of the great SahZbl - of course, except tha-t of the blessed prophets - was ever mentioned throughout the Qur'Zn with t h e sole exception of SayyidnZ Zayd Ibn HZrithah! Some respected elders while describing the wisdom behind it have said that the attribution of his parentage to the Holy Prophet when severed under the injunction of the Qur'Zn had him deprived of a great personal honor. However, Allah Ta6Zl;i:h a d i t compensated by mentioning h i m i n t h e Qur'Zn by name. Thus, the word: 4; (Zayd), being a word of the Qur'an, has its own distinct status. On every letter of this word, in accordance with the promise in Hadhh, ten good deeds are recorded in the Book of Deeds. So, when his name is recited in the Qur'Zn, the reciter gets thirty good deeds in return just for pronouncing his name! Even the Holy Prophet used to give him respect. Sayyidah 'A'ishah

k-r hi p says, 'Whenever he has sent him on a military expedition, it is ,
invariably him that h e has made the commander of the forces.' (1bn~ath;r)

A lesson to remember This, in a nutshell, was the reality of slavery a t the advent of Islam when slaves were educated and trained till they became achievers and whoever from them proved his class and capability was given the rank of leaders.
man, the Holy Prophet When Zayd Ibn Harithah grew to be a youi~g

$ chose Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh, the daughter of his paternal aunt $ !
for marriage with him. A formal proposal of marriage was sent. Since Sayyidnii Zayd was bran,ded with the conventional label of being a freed slave, Sayyidah Zainab and her brother, 'Abdullah Ibn J a h s h rejected this proposal on the basis that they were nobler than him in terms of family and lineage. , ,, ,. . Revealed upon this incident was the verse: e p Y; * ,: L (And it is $$ not open for a believing man or a believing woman - 36). The instruction given there is: When the Holy Prophet orders someone to do something as an obligation, it becomes obligatory for that person to do it. The choice of not doing i t does not remain valid under Islamic Law - even if t h e required act may not be obligatory or necessary in its origin. But, once he does order someone to do that, it become incumbent and obligatory on him. And should someone not do so, his or her action has been termed as open error a t the end of the verse. When Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh and her brother heard this verse, they retracted from their rejection and agreed to the proposal of marriage. Thus, the marriage was solemnized. The dower of the bride was paid by the Holy Prophet @ on behalf of SayyidnZ Zayd which was ten din'tirs [equal to approximately 4 tolas of gold), sixty d i r h a m s (equal to approximately 18 112 tolas of silver), one beast of burden, complete pair of ladies dress, 15 mudd (approximately 25 kilos) of flour a n d 10 mudd ). (approximately 5 kilos) of dates ( ~ b n ~ a t h i r The well-known event in the background of the revelation of this verse is, according to the majority of commentators, no other but this very account of the marriage of Sayyidah i Zainab bint J a h s h (1bn ~ a t h E~, u r t u band ~ a ~ h a r ? ) . Ibn Kathir a n d some other commentators have also reported two additional events of this nature. There too, it has been said that the cited verse has been revealed in the background of those events. One of these

is about SayyidnZ Julaibib & whose proposal to marry the daughter of an An+-: Sahabi was turned down by the father and his family. When this verse was revealed, they agreed and the marriage was solemnized. The Holy Prophet made a d u 5 ' (prayer)for extended means of livelihood for them. The noble Companions say that Allah had placed such barakah in their home that i t was known to be the most generously kept home of Madinah Zt-Tayyibah. Later, SayyidnZ Julaibib & met with his shahadah in a Jihad. The Holy Prophet bathed and shrouded his body with his own blessed hands. A similar event relating to Umm Kulthiim bint 'Uqbah Ibn AbT Mu'ait has been reported in Hadith narrations (~bn~athE, ~urtubi) and there is no contradiction in them. It is possible that several events of this nature may have been the cause of the revelation of the verse.

The Injunction to consider the principle of ( k u f )in marriage The reason why Sayyidah Zainab bint J a h s h a n d h e r brother 'Abdullah had initially rejected the proposal of marriage with SayyidnZ Zayd Ibn HZrithah was that the two of them had no familial and lineal homogeneity, which is desirable even in the sight of the Shari'ah. The Holy Prophet % said that girls should be married in their 4 (kuf': equal, alike, matching) (to be explained later). Therefore, a question arises here as to why the excuse of Sayyidah Zainab and her brother was not accepted in this case?
The answer is that the equality, rather equalness ( a d:kafi'ah) and likeness of spouses in their religion is certainly incumbent and necessary for the validity of the marriage. The marriage of any Muslim girl with any disbeliever is not hala1 (lawful) under the consensus of the Muslim ummah - even if the girl agrees to it. The reason is that this is not simply the right of a woman which may be dropped at her pleasure. Instead, it is the right of Allah and a Divinely imposed duty. On the contrary, equality of the spouses in financial and lineal status is the right of the girl and in the matter of lineal equality, the guardians too have right alongwith the girl. If a sane and adult girl, despite being from a wealthy family, were to drop her right by agreeing to marry some pauper, the choice is hers. And in lineal equality, if the girl and her guardians, all of them, abandon this right for the sake of some other major expedient consideration and agree to the proposal of marriage from a person who is lesser t h a n them in

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terms of lineage and family status, then, they have the right to do so. In fact, should this be in view of higher religious consideration, the act of surrendering this right is most desirable and praiseworthy. I t is for this reason that the Holy Prophet $% has, on several occasioiis, recommended t h a t this right should be ignored a n d marriage should be solemnized because of higher and more beneficial religious considerations. And clear indicators set forth in the noble Qur'an prove that the right of the Holy Prophet ?& on the men and women of his ummah is more than that of anyone else. In fact, it is more than that of their own self - a s -6 that is, 'The Prophet is closer to the Qur'Zn says: &$&1 J j t h e believers t h a n their own selves - 33:6.' Therefore, i n t h e case of Sayyidah Zainab and her brother, 'Abdullah, when the Holy Prophet advised them to ignore their right to lineal equality and ordered them to agree to the marriage with SayyidnZ Zayd Ibn Harithah, it was their duty to bypass their personal opinion and their own rights in the face of this prophetic order. Therefore, it was on this refusal from them that this injunction of the Qur'Zn was revealed.

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As for the lineal consideration in marriage, one may ask when it was worthy of consideration in the sight of the Holy Prophet himself, why would he himself not go by it? The answer to this doubt is already clear from t h e e a r l i e r s u b m i s s i o n , t h a t i s , t h i s c o n s i d e r a t i o n i s w o r t h surrendering in favour of other higher a n d more beneficial religeous several considerations. During the blessed period of the Holy Prophet marriages were solemnized among non-equals (ghayr-kuf') a s based on these very kinds of beneficial religeous considerations which do not violate the principle.

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The Issue of Equality in marriage (Kafi'ah) Marriage (nikah) is a matter in which the absence of homogeneity in t h e temperaments of t h e spouses disturbs t h e purpose of marriage, disturbs the process of fulfilling each other's rights and breeds mutual disputes. Therefore, t h e Sharl'ah h a s ordered t h a t k a f i ' a h ( m u t u a l likeness) should be taken into consideration. But, it never means that a man of high family background starts taking a man from a family lesser than him as low and mean. In Islam, the criterion of low and high is b,ased on Taqwa and love for one's faith. Whoever does not have it, no matter how noble his family is, he yet has no status in the sight of Allah.

So, this order to t a k e kafi'ah (mutual equality) into consideration in marriages h a s been given only to keep t h e m a n a g e m e n t of m a t t e r s smooth and straight. In a HadTth, the Holy Prophet has been reported to have said that t h e n i k a h ( m a r r i a g e ) of girls should i n v a r i a b l y b e t h r o u g h t h e i r guardians (that is, it is not appropriate even for a pubescent girl that she settles the transaction of her nikah (marriage) all by herself. Modesty d e m a n d s t h a t t h i s m a t t e r should be h a n d l e d by h e r p a r e n t s a n d guardians). And h e said t h a t t h e nikZh of girls should invariably be solemnized within their kuf' (equal, like). Though, the authority of this Hadlth is weak but, with the support from the reports and sayings of the noble SahZbah, it becomes worth being used as a n argument. I n KitZb ul-'AthZr, Imam Muhammad h a s reported SayyidnZ 'Umar saying: "I shall issue a n operative order that no girl from some high and recognized family should be given in marriage to another having a lesser status." Similarly, Sayyidah 'A'ishah +-&I NJand SayyidnZ Anas & have also stressed t h a t kafi'ah (likeness) should be t a k e n into consideration in nikZh (marriage) - a s reported from several a u t h o r i t i e s . I m a m I b n HumEm has also written about it in details in Fath al-Qadir. Hence, t h e outcome is t h a t t h e consideration of kafi'ah (equalness and likeness) i n n i k a h (marriage) is desirable i n religion, so t h a t t h e spouses live in accord and harmony. But, should some other important consideration, more important t h a n this kafi'ah, come up, t h e n , i t is permissible for the woman and her guardians that they surrender this right of theirs and marry in ghayr kuf: that is, other than equal and like. Particularly so, when there is some religeous consideration in sight - if so, it is better and more merit worthy to do so, as proved from several events pertaining to the noble SahZbah. Incidentally, from this we also know that these events do not negate the basic premise of the issue of kafi'ah. Allah knows best.

The Second Event
As ordered by the Holy Prophet $&,the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab -&! was solemnized with SayyidnE Zayd Ibn HZrithah bint J a h s h &. But, their temperaments did not match and merge with each other. SayyidnE Zayd used to complain about the sharpness of her tongue, the airs she assumed because of her inborn lineal nobility and her failure to

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listen to him. On t h e other side, t h e Holy Prophet w a s informed through revelation that Zayd would divorce her whereafter she would be married to him. On a certain day, SayyidnZ Zayd presented these very complaints before t h e Holy Prophet a n d showed h i s intention to $ ! divorce her. The Holy Prophet & had, though, come to know through Divine revelation that things would transpire in a way that Zayd would divorce her after which she would be married to him, but i t was for two reasons t h a t he stopped SayyidnZ Zayd from giving a divorce. Firstly, because giving a divorce, though permissible in the Shari'ah of Islam, it is not desirable. I n fact, it is the most detested and repugnant of things permissible - and the happening of something a s a creational ( T a k w h i ) imperative does not affect t h e operative religio-legal order ( a l - h u k m at-tashri'i). Secondly, also crossing his blessed h e a r t t h e r e was t h e thought: If Zayd were to give divorce and Zainab were to be married to him consequently, the Arabs would, very much in line with their custom of the Jahiliyyah, throw taunts on him that he had married the wife of his son. Although, t h e Qur7Znh a s already demolished t h i s custom of JZhiliyyah in the previous verse of this very SErah Al-AhzZb, following which there was no danger for a believer, even no scruple about it. But disbelievers, who reject the authority of the Qur'an itself, would still come out with their taunts because of their pagan custom of taking a n adopted son as the real son in all aspects of the Law. This very apprehension also became the cause of his prohibiting Sayyidnii Zayd from divorcing his wife. Revealed thereupon was a n endearing reprimand from Allah Ta'ZlZ in the following verses of the Qur'Zn:

And (remember) when you were saying to the one who was favored by Allah and favored by you," Keep your wife to your self, and fear Allah." And you were concealing in your heart what Allah was going to reveal, and you were fearing people, while Allah is more entitled to be feared by you. (33:37) The 'one favored' referred to here means SayyidnZ Zayd and the first favour bestowed on him by Allah was that he was made a Muslim and secondly, that he was given the honor of staying in the company of the Messenger of Allah. As for the favour done to him by the Holy Prophet

$&,the first thing he did was that he gave him his freedom from slavery.
Secondly, h e favored him by grooming a n d t r a i n i n g h i m u n d e r h i s personal charge, he made him into a person who was respected even by the g r e a t e s t of t h e g r e a t among t h e SahZbah. O n w a r d s from h e r e Z j j && (Keep appears what he said to SayyidnZ Zayd: $1 $1; your wife to your self and fear Allah). I t means: 'Hold your wife in your bond of marriage, and do not divorce her and fear Allah.' The order to fear Allah a t t h i s place could also be t a k e n to mean t h a t divorce is a detested and repugnant act from which he should abstain. And it could also be taken in the sense that once he decides to hold her in his nikah, let not his temperamental distaste become a cause of falling short in the fulfillment of her due rights. What the Holy Prophet said was correct and sound i n its place. But, after having learnt about t h e event a s i t would transpire through Divine revklation a n d after t h e intention of nikah with Sayyidah Zainab having emerged in his heart, this advice of not divorcing given to SayyidnZ Zayd had remained a t the level of a sort of formal expression of good wishes - something not appropriate to the station of a messenger of Allah, particularly so because, alongwith it, included t h e r e i n w a s t h e apprehension of t a u n t s from t h e people. Therefore, in the cited verse, the admonition was revealed in the words which mean, 'you were concealing in your heart what Allah was going to reveal.' When the information about his marriage with Sayyidah Zainab was conveyed to him from Allah a n d t h e intention of m a r r i a g e h a d already crossed h i s h e a r t , then, t h e act of hiding t h i s intention a n d indulging in such formal remarks was not appropriate to his station. As for the apprehension of taunts from people, it was said, 'and you were fearing people, while Allah is more entitled to be feared by you - ( 3 7 ) . I n other words, 'when you knew that this thing is going to take place as a matter destined by Allah Ta'ZlZ - without there being any apprehension or danger of His displeasure in that case - then, simply because of the apprehension of taunts from people, such remarks were not appropriate.' The details of this event appearing above have all been taken from Tafsb Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi and Rtih ul-Ma'Zni. As for the particular tafsir of the verse: $& h\ L & 2 (you were concealing in your heart what Allah was going to reveal - 3 7 ) that is, 'the thing t h a t h e kept to himself was the intention that should Zayd give the divorce, he would

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marry her in accordance with the Divine decree' - this tafsir was reported by Tirmidhi, Ibn Abi HZtim and other Hadith experts from a narration of Sayyidna 'Ali Ibn Husain Zain ul-'Abidin. Its words are a s follows:

Allah Ta'ZlZ had informed the Holy revelation that Zainab is going to be divorced by Zayd and after i that she was to be married to him - REh u l - ~ a ' Z nfrom ~irmidhl.

rJJ, ;<jd~ij d@i & Prophet @ through
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And Ibn Kathir has reported the following words with reference to Ibn Abi HZtim:

Allah Ta'Kl5 had made His prophet know that she (Sayyidah Zainab) will also become one of his blessed wives. After that, when Zayd came to him with a complaint against her, he said, 'Fear Allah, keep your wife, do not divorce her.' Thereupon, Allah Ta'Zl5 said, 'I had made it known to you that I shall have her married to you, and you were concealing in your heart the thing that Allah was going to disclose.' The majority of commentators - Zuhrl, Bakr Ibn al-'AlZ', al-Qushair; and Qadi AbG Bakr Ibn al-'Arab? - have adopted this very tafsir, that is, the mention of the thing he was keeping to himself was but this intention of marriage under Divine revelation. Counter to this there a r e narrations in which the words," and you were concealing in your heart" have been explained as love for Zainab. About this tafsir, Ibn Kathir h a s said, 'we did not like to mention these narrations a s none of these is sound.' Then the words of the Qur'Zn themselves lend support to this very tafsir mentioned above on t h e authority of SayyidnZ Zain ul-'xbidin because, in this verse, Allah Ta'Zlk has Himself said very clearly that the thing hidden in the heart was what Allah Ta'alZ is going to disclose - and the thing that Allah Ta'Zl5 disclosed in the next verse (37) is nikah or marriage with Sayyidah Zainab as said in: @ ; j (We gave her into your marriage -37) (RGh ul-~a'ZnT)

To p r o t e c t oneself a g a i n s t t a u n t s t h r o w n b y p e o p l e i s p r a i s e w o r t h y u n l e s s i t affects s o m e objective of t h e S h a r i ' a h A question arises here as to why the Holy Prophet % chose to conceal this matter which became the cause of Divine displeasure only to avoid the taunts of a hostile people? To answer that, it can be said t h a t there is an essential general rule i n this matter which s t a n d s proved from the Qur'an and Sunnah. According to this rule, when doing a n act may cause misunderstanding among people or may invite their taunts, then, in order to protect t h e faith of people a n d save them from t h e s i n of throwing taunts, it is permissible to avoid that act, subject to the condition that this act itself should not be one of t h e objectives of t h e Shari'ah, a n d no religeous injunction of hula1 and haram is related with i t - even though, the act in itself be praiseworthy. In this matter, a precedent exists in the who s a i d : W h e n t h e ~ a d i t h n d S u n n a h of t h e Holy P r o p h e t a Baytullah was constructed during the period of Jahiliyyah, several things have been done contrary to the original structure laid out by SayyidnZ IbrZhTm First of all, some p a r t of Baytullah was left outside t h e constructed area. Then, there were two doors for people to enter inside the Baytullah in the original foundational plan of SayyidnE Ibrahim one towards the East and another towards the West because of which there used to be no difficulty with the entry in and exit from Baytullah. The people of t h e JZhiliyyah made two unwarranted changes i n it. They blocked the Western door totally and raised the Eastern door which used to be at ground level so high that no one could enter inside i t without the help of a ladder. The purpose was to let only those they permitted go in.

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said: 'Had there been no danger of throwing The Holy Prophet neo-Muslims into misunderstanding, I would have raised the Baytullah once again in accordance with the Abrahimic foundation.' This Hadlth is present in all authentic books. From this we know that it was to save people from misunderstanding that the Holy Prophet abandoned this intention of his, a n intention which was, otherwise, praiseworthy in the light of the SharTah. And against this there came po admonition from Allah which also shows that this conduct of his was acceptable with Him. But, this matter of reconstructing the Baytullah in accordance with the Abrahimic foundation was not something among the objective of Shari'ah, nor something relating to the precepts of hula1 and haram.

Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 36 - 39

166

As for the event of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab k hi p, there , was an Islamic legal objective to be achieved therewith, that is, to refute an evil custom of the JZhiliyyah and to dispel, practically and openly, the erroneous notion of marriage being unlawful with the divorced wife of a n adopted son. The reason is that eradication of wrong customs, dragging on and on among peoples for ages, becomes actually possible only when i t is i m p l e m e n t e d practically a n d d e m o n s t r a t e d openly. T h e Divine command had unfolded to fulfill this objective in a perfect manner in the , case of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab & p .On the basis of this deposition, t h e apparent dichotomy between t h e abandonment of t h e reconstruction of Baytullah and the implementation of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab as Divinely ordairied stands resolved, and answered. And it seems that the Holy Prophet took the oral communication of t h i s injunction which h a s appeared i n t h e e a r l i e r v e r s e s of S E r a h Al-AhzZb (Verses 4 & 5) as sufficient for declaring the law, while the need a n d wisdom of i t s practical d e m o n s t r a t i o n escaped h i s a t t e n t i o n . Therefore, he let it remain concealed despite the knowledge and intention. &gl&i & Y& Allah TatIi1Z put it right and said: li! &hi cijji j I>> 1 (SOt h a t t h e r e may not be a problem for t h e believers i n 3 marrying wives of their adopted sons, when they finish their desire for them - 37). I t means: We gave Zainab in marriage to you so t h a t Muslims do not have to face any practical difficulty in marrying the divorced wives of adopted sons.

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And the statement: $ ; literally means: 'We solemnized her nikah 2; with you' or 'We gave her into your marriage.' This tells u s that Allah Ta'Gl5 blessed t h i s nikEh w i t h s u c h d i s t i n c t i o n t h a t H e H i m s e l f solemnized it - which makes it exempt from the usual conditions of nikah or marriage. And i t could also mean : 'We gave t h e command for this nikah, now you m a r r y h e r in accordance with t h e Islamic rules a n d conditions.' Some of the commentators have preferred the first probability while some others have gone by the second.

, As for the saying of Sayyidah Zainab L+s .jh & before other women, "Your nikah was done by your parents. My nikah was done by Allah Ta'ZlZ Himself on the heavens," which appears in Had;th narrations, it turns out to be true both ways. Under the first probability, i t is very clear while the other one too is not contrary to it.

P r e f a c i n g a n a n s w e r t o d o u b t s a n d objections @,Z ,,* , , , ,, : . s The opening sentence of verse 38: .-,I $l,J o K j $ I&- 341 $1 d I; (a customary practice of Allah in the case of those who have gone ;X before--- And Allah's command is pre-determined by destiny - 38) is a preface to doubts to be encountered i n t h e w a k e of t h i s m a r r i a g e , particularly about why so much concern was shown in the case of this marriage despite there being other wives in the household. I t was said: 'This i s a s u n n a h of Allah (His customary practice not restricted to Muhammad al-Mustaf5 $&. I t has continued to be so in the case of earlier prophets a s well, t h a t is, u n d e r t h e d i c t a t e of beneficial religeous considerations, permission w a s given for multiple m a r r i a g e s . Well recognized a m o n g t h e m a r e SayyidnZ DZwGd a n d Sayyidna Sulaiman =I. SayyidnZ DZwTid h a d one h u n d r e d wives i n his nikah and SayyidnZ Sulaiman M I , three hundred. Now, if permission came for the Holy Prophet to have several marriages under beneficial religeous considerations - this nikah being included therein - why should it be taken a s something far-fetched? Neither is it contrary to the dignity and status of a prophet and messenger of Allah, nor against the norms of zuhd and taqwti. I n the last sentence, it was also said that the matter of nikah (marriage) too, like that of rizq or sustenance, is Divinely decided as to who will be married to whom. That which is written in the eternal destiny has to occur. In this event relating to SayyidnZ Zayd and Sayyidah Zainab L+.s d d J , the factors of their mutual temperamental l difference, t h e displeasure of SayyidnZ Zayd a n d t h e n h i s resolve to divorce h e r w e r e a l l c h a i n s of t h i s very c r e a t i o n a l a n d d e s t i n e d imperative.
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Mentioned next a r e particular attributes of t h e prophets e U l about whom we have learnt a while ago that they were permitted to have ,+, ' , .z, several wives in earlier times. I t was said: those who +LJ convey the messages of Allah and have awe of Him and have no awe of anyone except Allah - 39), that is, all these esteemed prophets, may peace be u p o n t h e m , convey t h e m e s s a g e s of Allah t o t h e i r respective communities without fear of anyone.
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Perhaps, in this, there may be a hint towards the wisdom behind the in that multiplicity of marriages allowed to the noble prophets rY-J\

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all their sayings a n d doings must necessarily reach their communities, while being men, they spend a substantial part of their time in the section of the house where women and children live. During this time, if there comes a revelation or t h e prophet himself gives some order or does something, it all becomes a property held by their wives in trust on behalf of the community which can be transferred to i t through wives alone. Other alternates are not free of difficulties. Therefore, should prophets have several wives, it would become easier to convey accounts of their words and deeds and their personal character in family life. Allah knows best. The second attribute of the noble prophets h a s been described as: , , , Y! I*li ; & Y;'iLj-?-, (and h a v e awe of Him a n d h a v e no awe of anyone except Allah - 39). It means that these prophets keep fearing Allah and fear none but Allah. I t is also included there that they, if appointed to preach something by practicing i t a s based on beneficial religeous consideration, never fall short in it - and if some people throw taunts a t them for doing so, they do not fear it.
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A doubt and its answer
Here, while mentioning the prophets, it has been said t h a t they do not fear anyone except Allah. But, in the verse previous to it while referring (you fear people - 37). How it was said: to the Holy Prophkt would this be correct? The answer is that, in the cited verse, this matter of prophets not fearing anyone other than Allah has been mentioned in connection with the conveying of Divine messages while the Holy Prophet &, faced the fear of being taunted in a matter which was obviously of a worldly nature. I t had nothing to do with his mission and prophethood. But, a s soon a s i t became clear to him from t h e cited verses t h a t this m a r r i a g e too w a s a p a r t of t h e practical aspect of h i s mission a n d prophethood, no fear of taunts, thereafter, from anyone stopped him from doing what he had to. And this marriage took place despite the objections raised by many disbelievers - which they still keep doing.

Verse 40

Mubarnmad is not a father of any of your men, but he is a messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets. And Allah is Knowledgeable of every thing. [40]

Commentary The verse quoted above refutes the contention of those people who, in accordance w i t h t h e custom of t h e days of ignorance, u s e d to call and Sayyidnii Zayd Ibn Harithah & as son of the Messenger of Allah with used to t a u n t a t t h e nikah (marriage) of t h e Holy Prophet Sayyidah Zainab L p dl dJ after she had been divorced by Sayyidnii , Zayd Ibn Harithah & that the Holy Prophet had married his son's wife. I t was enough to say in refutation that the father of SayyidnZ Zayd & is not the Holy Prophet @ but Harithah &.But in order to emphasis the matter, the statement has'been generalized in the following words: ( ; I S q Wuhammad @ is not a father of any of your $G; +id men). The sense is that the Holy Prophet has no son a t all. How can it be asserted against him that he has a son and that his divorced wife is forbidden to him because of being his son's wife? , -' ' ,' , ,, A brief expression for this statement could have been +I LI -k-h. SL? L $ ( ~ u h a m m a d is not a father of any of you). But the wise Qur'iin, by adding the word (JbJ) (any of your men) has removed a possible objection that the Holy Prophet & is father of four sons - three sons Qiisim, Tayyib and m i r & born to Sayyidah Khadijah l p p and I b r Z h h && , born to Sayyidah Mariyah al- Qibtiyyah +dl * but all of them died during J childhood and none of them reached manhood. I t can also be said that a t the time of revelation of this verse, none of his sons was alive, because QKsim &,Tayyib and m i r had died, while IbrZhim & was not born a t that time.

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Although the objection of the opponents had been adequately replied by the above sentence, yet in order to remove other doubts as well, it is stated &I J JJj (but a messenger of Allah). The word $ lakin (but) is ;; used in Arabic language to remove any doubt that could be raised about the preceding statement. I n this case, a doubt could be raised against the negation of the statement that the Holy Prophet is not a father of any one. One could say that every prophet and messenger is the father of every man and women of his Ummah, and therefore the negation of his fatherhood would be tantamount to negation of his prophethood. This

Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 40

170

doubt has been dispelled by $1: ; J 3 ( but a messenger of Allah ) which means t h a t t h e rules regarding permissibility or impermissibility of marriage are applicable to the real and biological fatherhood t h a t is quite different from a spiritual fatherhood enjoyed by the prophets in relation to the members of their Ummah. In this relationship these laws do not apply. Now the meaning of the full sentence is that the Holy Prophet % is not the biological father of any of the men of the Ummah but he is the spiritual father of all of them. This is also a rejoinder for another sarcasm t h a t some Mushriks (polytheists) had uttered against the Holy Prophet that (Allah forbid) 1 he is 3 (issueless) that is, since he has no male offspring to continue the lineage and to propagate his message further; after a few days the whole story would come to an end. The above words have made it clear that although he has no biological sons, yet the biological sons are not in any case essential to spread the message of prophethood or to maintain and propagate it. This function is normally performed by one's followers who are his spiritual children, and since he is the spiritual father of the whole Ummah who are there to carry forward his mission, he excels all of you in the number of his ( spiritual )children. Then, once the prophethood and messengership of the Holy Prophet $ was mentioned here in which he carries a very special and distinct $ ! excellence over all other prophets, this distinctive eminence surpassing all other prophets has been indicated by the following words: $\ ; ; ( and i the Last of the Prophets ). There are two ways to read the word &kImam Hasan >l w-J and I d ; 'Aqim read this word as khatam whereas other leading scholars read it as Izhatim. The meaning remains the same in both cases, t h a t is, 'the last of the prophets'. In both the cases, the word means the 'last' a s well a s the 'seal'. The meaning of the seal is also the 'last' because the seal is applied to something when it is intended to be closed. The Holy Prophet % has been called the seal of the prophets because the process of sending new prophets h a s come to a n end on his advent. T h i s i s t h e gist of t h e explanation given i n Tafsir RGh-ul-Ma'Zni, TafsTr of ~ l - ~ a ~ d aan w i d Ahmadi. The fact that both the words ' khatam' and 'khatim' carry the same meaning i n t h i s sentence h a s been affirmed by all t h e famous lexicons of the Arabic language.

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Ibn Sidah, for example, in his Almuhkam states t h a t the the words 'khatim' and 'khatimah' with regard to everything means its end and its termination. The gist is t h a t both readings of t h e verse (khatam a n d khatim) convey the same meaning, that is, the Holy Prophet has concluded the line of prophets; h e h a s succeeded all the prophets a n d h e is t h e last among all of them. The Holy Prophet's attribute of being the last of all the prophets demonstrates his excellence a n d distinction i n a l l t h e perfections of prophethood and messengership, because in general, all things progress gradually reaching completion a t the highest stage, and the end result is i the real objective. The Holy Qur'Zn has stated this clearly in $ a ;gi , ," --lj %;:? (Today, I have perfected your religion for you and have completed My blessings upon you - 15:3).

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The religions of the previous prophets were also complete with regard to their respective times - none was defective. But absolute perfection was reached by the religion of the Holy Prophet Muhammad al-Mustafa & which is the authority for all the ancient and modern human beings and will continue to be so up to the Doomsday. By adding the phrase 'last of the prophets' after negating his being a f a t h e r of a m a l e boy, a n o t h e r point h a s b e e n clarified h e r e . T h e polytheists used to pass negative remarks against the Holy Prophet & by saying that he has no son, and therefore his lineage would not continue. By saying that he is the last of the prophets it is indicated t h a t these remarks are based on ignorance, because he is the spiritual father of the whole Ummah which follows him and being the last prophet, all the races and nations to come in this world till the Doomsday would be included in his Ummah; as such the number of persons in his Ummah would be more than in other Ummah and his spiritual sons would be more t h a n those of other prophets. being the last prophet has also told u s that his The Holy Prophet's kindness and affection for his spiritual sons (i.e. for his Ummah) would be more t h a n t h a t of other prophets a n d he would be fully seized of t h e concern to identify a n d a p p r e c i a t e t h e needs which m a y a r i s e till Doomsday because no prophet or wahy (Divine revelation) would come

after him. The prophets preceding him did not have this concern because they knew that when the nation would deviate and adopt erring ways, other prophets would come after them and reform the nation. But the L a s t P r o p h e t @ w a s seized of t h e concern t h a t h e s h o u l d i m p a r t instructions to the Ummah for all the situations that it may face uptill Doomsday. The ahadith of the Holy Prophet @ bear witness to the above, because he has told us even the names of most of those people who could be followed and who would come after him. Similarly, he has told us the details about the leaders who would misguide humanity in a manner that anybody who cares to ponder over those warnings would not have the $ ! slightest doubt left in his mind. That is why the Holy Prophet $ said ,, ,,, , :I& L;Gj &Q ,L& $> 31;. ,.-S;i>"I have left (you) on such a n illuminated path where it does not make any difference whether it is day or night; there is no danger of being misguided a t any time."
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Another point to note i n this verse is t h a t SayyidnZ Muhammad al-Mustafa $$has been referred to in the beginning of the sentence as a rasul (messenger) a n d a s such it would have been apparently more appropriate to use the word khatam-ur-rusul or khatam-ul-mursalin (the last of the messengers ) for him. But the wise Qur'an has, instead, used the word khatam-un-nabiyyin (the last of the prophets). The reason is that according to the consensus of scholars, there is a difference between Nabi (prophet) and rasul (messenger). Nab; is that person whom Allah Ta'Zl5 (the Almighty) has selected for the reformation of His slaves and has honored him with His Wahy (revelation), irrespective of whether He h a s given him a Book a n d a new SharI'ah (set of revealed rules a n d precepts) or He has appointed him to guide the followers of a previous Nab; according to a previous Nabl's Book and Shari'ah, like SayyidnZ Harun ?$ &I was appointed to guide and reform his followers according to the Book and Shari'ah of SayyidnZ MGsZ -1. On the contrary, the word rasul (messenger) is used exclusively for a particular Nab: who has been given a Book and a new Shari'ah. As such Nab; is more general than Rasiil. So the meaning of this verse is that the Holy Prophet being the last of the prophets, has concluded the line of prophets and no prophet will come after him, irrespective of whether he is given a Book and a Shari'ah or he succeeds a previous Nabi to follow his Book and SharTah.

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It is now very clear that all kinds of prophets appointed by Allah came to an end with the Holy Prophet @; no prophet will be appointed after him. Imam Ibn KathTr, in his TafsTr, says:

"This verse is the unambiguous proof of the belief that there would be no Nabi after the Holy Prophet @ and since there would be no Nab: , there is no question of there being any rasul after him because Nab: is a general term and r a s u l is particular. And this is the belief which is evidenced by mutawatir ahEdith which have reached us through the reports of a very large number of the Noble Companions &." T h e L i t e r a l e x p l a n a t i o n of t h i s v e r s e h a s b e e n given h e r e i n considerable detail because one imposter by the name of Mirza QadiyZni, considering this verse to be a hindrance i n his way, h a s distorted t h e meanings of the verse and has introduced a host of conjectures in its explanation. The foregoing, al-Hamdulillah, is a befitting reply.

The Issue of Termination of Prophethood That the Holy Prophet $$$was the last of the prophets who has sealed and t h u s terminated prophethood, a n d t h a t no other prophet is to be appointed after him and every claimant to prophethood is a liar and a n infidel are well-settled issues on which there has been complete unanimity and consensus right from the days of the noble companions & upto the date. Therefore there was no need for a lengthy discussion on this subject. But the QadiyZni sect has put in a lot of effort to create doubts in the minds of Muslims on this issue; by publishing hundreds of pamphlets and books they have tried to misguide those Muslims who are not well versed in religious knowledge. So this humble author has written a book titled "Khatm-e-Nabuwwat"i n which this issue h a s been fully detailed a n d clarified i n t h e light of one hundred Qur'Znic verses, more t h a n two hundred ahEdith and hundreds of dictum of the classic a s well a s later scholars and learned people; the QadiyZni deception and doubts created

thereby have been fully refuted. Some important points from that book are being reproduced here.

The Holy Prophet's $ Being the Last Prophet does not negate $ ! in the last days the descent of SayyidnZ 'is5 I t is proved from many verses of t h e Qur'an a n d from rnutawatir ahEdith that in the last days before the doomsday, Sayyidna 'Is5 would come into this world again, kill Dajjal ( the Antichrist ) and bring all misguidance to a n end. The detailed proofs of this fact are given in my Arabic book 'At-tasrih'.Mirza QadiyanI, denying the descent of Sayyidna 'Is% h a s proclaimed himself to be t h e predicted Masih with t h e reasoning that if reappearance of SayyidnZ ?sa Ibn Maryam i.M-il L& who was a prophet of Israelites, is accepted, then i t would negate the Holy Prophet's being the last of the prophets.

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The clear reply is that the Holy Prophet's &!$ being the last prophet means that nobody would be appointed as a prophet after him; it does not imply t h a t somebody who was appointed a prophet earlier would be dismissed from his prophethood or that such a prophet would not be able to return to this world. But, of course, the prophet who returns to this world for the reformation of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet % while maintaining his prophethood, would carry out the reforms in the Ummah in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Prophet a s clarified in authentic ahadzth.

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Imam Ibn Kathir, in explanation of this verse, has said:

"The Holy Prophet $$ being the last of the prophets means that the office of prophethood stands terminated after him. No one would get this office after him. But it does not have any effect on &%\ the fact of the descent and reappearance of SayyidnZ ' 7 s ~ in the last days on which there is a consensus of the whole Ummah and which is proved by a large number of ahadtth that

are almost mutawatir and by the Qur'Zn itself according to some interpretations, because he had been given prophethood before the Holy Prophet %."

Distortion of the Meaning of Prophethood and invention of new kinds of Prophethood This claimant of prophethood adopted a new trick to pave t h e way for his claim by inventing a new kind of prophethood which simply does not exist in Qur'iin and Sunnah and neither is there any proof for it, but according to him this new kind of prophethood does not negate the decree of Qur'iin regarding t h e termination of prophethood. Briefly, h e h a s introduced in prophethood the concept of reincarnation, which is well known in Hinduism and other religions. His contention is t h a t if a person is dyed in t h e color of t h e Holy Prophet @, by virtue of h i s complete obedience to him and by following his footsteps, his coming to this world is the coming of the Holy Prophet & himself; such a person is in fact the shadow and incarnate demonstration of none else but t h e Holy Prophet Therefore, his claim does not negate the belief in the termination of prophethood after him.

B.

But how can this invented kind of prophethood find its way to Islamic beliefs? T h e r e i s no proof of i t . Besides, t h e belief i n t e r m i n a t i o n of prophethood i s a basic belief of I s l a m a n d a s s u c h i t h a s been so thoroughly clarified by t h e Holy Prophet @ under different topics a t various times that no imposter can distort it. The full details can be seen in this author's book referred to earlier, but only some necessary proofs of this belief are being presented here. Sahih of Bukhiir?, Sahih of Muslim and almost all books of Hadith have reported from Sayyidnii AbE Hurairah & with authentic chain of narrators that the Holy Prophet has said,
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"The example of a;l the prophets before me and of myself is like a Inan has built a very strong and well decorated house in one corner wall of which space has been left vacant for one brick; people roam about in the home to see i t and admire the

construction but all of them say that why did not the builder put a brick in that space also which would have completed the construction. I am that last brick (of the palace of prophethood)" and in some versions he said "I have filled up that vacant space and thus completed the palace of prophethood." The gist of this eloquent simile is that prophethood is like a grand palace composed of Prophets $&. This grand palace was complete in all respects before t h e Holy Prophet except for t h e placement of one brick. T h e Holy P r o p h e t # completed t h i s g r a n d palace by filling u p t h a t $ ! vacant space for one brick. Now there is no more space for a n y prophet or messenger. Even if it is supposed that there a r e other kinds of prophets and messengers, there is just no more space for them i n t h e palace of prophethood. I n another Hadith narrated by SayyidnZ Abii Hurairah & reported in SahThs of BukhSS, Muslim, Musnad of Ahmad, etc., t h e Holy Prophet $!$ h a s said:

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"The politics and administration of Banu IsrZ'il was being handled by the prophets themselves. When one prophet expired, another prophet would take his place. And after me there is no prophet, but of course, there would be my khulam (caliphs successors) who would be numerous." This HadTth h a s made it clear that there would be no prophet after the Holy Prophet $!$ and the education a n d instruction of t h e U m m a h would be carried out by his Khulaf?. The Holy Prophet h a s explicitly and clearly told u s t h a t there is no prophethood of any kind after him, otherwise h e would have mentioned it i n t h i s H a d i t h w h e r e h e h a s mentioned KhulaG'. Sahihs of BukhSri and Muslim have reported a HadTth narrated by SayyidnZ Abii Hurairah & :*

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"Nothing is left of prophethood after me except mubashshirat. The noble companions & asked: 0 Holy Prophet @! What is mubashshirat? He replied, 'True dreams that a Muslim sees himself or somebody else sees about him." This Hadith has so explicitly told that no kind of prophethood, either one with a new law or without i t , e i t h e r Zilli (shadowy) or Buruzi (incarnate), is possible after the Holy Prophet &; people would only have mubashshirat (true dreams) through which they would find out a few things. Musnad of Ahmad and Tirmidhi carry a narration of SayyidnZ Anas Ibn MZlik &$6wherein the Holy Prophet % has said: JYJ Mj iL kl rlj d4CJIj l q 1i! - b; k ) "No d o u b t risalah ( m e s s e n g e r s h i p ) a n d n u b u w w a h (prophethood) stand terminated after me; after me there would neither be a rasiil (messenger) nor a Nabi(prophet)".
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This HadTth has made it clear that prophethood even without a new law is simply not there after the Holy Prophet % what to say of zilli or buruzi prophethood which are neither any form of prophethood nor are they recognized as such in Islam. The objective is not to collect here all the ahEdith pertaining to the issue of termination of prophethood; more than two hundred ahEdith on this subject have been p u t together in my book "Khatm-e-Nabuwwat". The objective, by quoting a few of them is to advise that the categories of gilli and buruzi prophethood invented by Mirzii Qadiyiini is without any basis or proof, a n d moreover t h e ahEdith quoted above h a v e told explicitly that there is no kind of of prophethood whatsoever left to come after the Holy Prophet %. That is why, right from the days of the noble companions & uptill today, all the schools of Muslim Ummah are unanimous on the belief that there cannot be any kind of Nabi or Rasfil after the Holy Prophet and

whoever c l a i m s t o be so i s a l i a r a n d denier of t h e Q u r ' a n a n d i s a disbeliever. The first general consensus of the noble companions & h a d evolved on this very issue a s a result of which a holy war ('jihad) was fought w i t h Musaylimah, t h e liar, t h e false claimant of prophethood, during t h e period of t h e first Khal2ah Sayyidna Abii Bakr &,.in which h e (Musailimah) a n d his followers were killed. The dictums a n d clarifications of the past Imams and wise scholars of t h e U m m a h a r e r e p r o d u c e d i n c o n s i d e r a b l e d e t a i l i n t h e book "Khatm-e-Nabuwwat", some of them are being copied here also. Ibn Kathir, in his tafsir, writes under this verse:

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"Allah Ta'ZlE in this Book and the Holy Prophet % in successive ahGdTth has informed that there is no Nab: after the Holy Prophet % so that people should know that whoever claims to be a prophet after him is a liar, a cheat, an imposter, a deviator who misguides others, no matter how many conjuring tricks he shows, magic spells he binds or talismanic wonders a n d sorceries he performs which are, in fact, sheer fallacies recognized as such by the people who have have knowledge and understanding. Allah Ta'ZlE had let such perverse acts and utterances manifested at the hands of Aswad Al-'Ansi (claimant of prophethood) in Yemen and Musaylimah, the liar, (another claimant of prophethood) in Yamamah in a way t h a t every intelligent and comprehending person, after hearing and seeing them, knew that both of them were liars and misguided. May Allah curse them. In the same way anyone who claims to be a prophet upto the Doomsday is a liar and an infidel and this stream of claimants of prophethood would end a t Dajjal, the Anti-Christ." I m a m Ghazzali, ,while explaining t h e above mentioned verse a n d

"The entire Ummah has unanimously understood from these words and from circumstantial evidences that there will never be a prophet after him ever, nor will ever come a messenger of Allah. These words (of the verse) can neither be interpreted in any other sense, nor can their generality be restricted."

Qadi 'IyZd in his book 'Ash-shifa', after declaring t h a t a person who claims to prophethood after t h e Holy Prophet $& is a liar a n d a n infidel
who does not believe i n this verse, h a s observed a s follows:

"The Ummah holds by consensus that this discourse bears the obvious meaning and t h a t this verse means what i t says, without any other interpretation or any exception. Therefore, there is no doubt in the kufr (infidelity) of all those sects (who follow any claim out of prophethood) rather their kufr stands absolutely proved in view of the consensus of the Ummah and the express texts of the Qur'Zn and Sunnah.

0 those who believe, remember Allah abundantly, [41] and proclaim His purity at morn and eve. [42] He is such that He and His angels send blessings to you, so that He brings you o u t from all sorts of darkness into Light. And He i s Very-Merciful to t h e believers. [43] Their greeting, the Day they will meet Him, will be, "SalZm" (Peace). And He has prepared for them a noble reward.
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0 prophet, We have sent you as a witness and a bearer
of good news and a Warner, [45] and as one who calls (people) towards Allah with His permission, and as a luminous lamp. [46] And give good news to the believers that they are to receive a huge bounty from Allah. [47] And do not obey the infidels and the hypocrites, and j i s t ignore any hurt (that afflicts you) from them, and place your t r u s t in Allah. And Allah is sufficient (for you) to take care of all matters. [48] Commentary

Mentioned in the preceding verse was the incident of Sayyidna Zaid & a n d Sayyidah Zainab p,, a n d in relation to i t t h e Holy Prophet's being the last of the prophets has been stated in the context of and directions for t h e respect and reverence of the Holy Prophet saving oneself from causing any pain to him. Further on also, t h e perfect attributes of the Holy Prophet @ a r e f going to be stated; his person and'attributes are the greatest blessings for M u s l i m s i n t h i s world. T h e i n s t r u c t i o n of r e m e m b e r i n g Allah i n abundance is given i n t h e above verse to show g r a t i t u d e for those blessings. Sayyidna Ibn 'AbbZs & has stated that there is no form of worship except hl(j? dhikrullah (remembrance of Allah) for which Allah has not fixed a limit; for example, SalZh is prescribed five times a day and the number of rak'at are determined for each SalZh; fasting throughout the month of R a m a d a n is determined, Hajj can be performed only a t a particular place and a t a particular time, ZakZh is prescribed once a year at a particular rate. But dhikrullah is a form of worship for which there is no limit or defined quantity, no particular time or period, no defined

posture or position, nor even t h e s t a t e of purity t h r o u g h ablution is required. D h i k r u l l a h is required a l l t h e time, i n a l l circumstances, whether one is traveling or is a t home, whether one is healthy or ill, whether one is on land or a t sea, whether it is day or night - dhikrullah is required all the time. Therefore no excuse is acceptable for neglecting dhikrullah except that one may have lost his senses and become unconscious. I n case of all forms of worship, other than dhikrullah, if one becomes unable due to illness or compelling circumstances, one is allowed reduction, brevity or exemption altogether, but in case of dhikrullah there are no extenuating circumstances. Therefore, no excuse is considered valid for omitting it and the merits, blessings and rewards for doing it are also numerous. Imam Ahmad has reported from Sayyidnii AbG ad-Darda' & that the Holy Prophet said to the noble companions &, 'Should I not tell you a thing that is better than all your deeds and is most acceptable to your Lord, and which would raise your grades, and is better than giving silver and gold i n charity and alms and is also better than your embarking for Jihad wherein you face and kill the enemy and the enemy kills you? The about that thing. The noble companions & asked the Holy Prophet Holy Prophet said, >j> t h a t is, remembrance of Allah, t h e Mightiest the Most Glorious". (Ibn Kathir)

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Imam Ahmad and Tirmidhi also have reported t h a t SayyidnZ Abii Hurairah & said that he had heard a prayer from the Holy Prophet which he does never miss. I t is the following:

"0 Allah make me so that I keep thanking You profusely, I keep

obeying your instructions, I keep remembering You abundantly and I safeguard (to follow) your advice." (Ibn Kathir) has supplicated to Allah Ta'ZlZ for ability to Here the Holy Prophet engage in dhikrullah abundantly.

A Beduin said to the Holy Prophet $$ that the number of good deeds,
obligations in Islam are many; so please tell me something concise and comprehensive which I could hold on to firmly. The Holy Prophet $$$ told him,

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That your tongue remains always wet with the dhihr of Allah. (MusnadAhmad, Ibn Kathir) has narrated that the Holy Prophet ?$&has said il? 2&d A\ I&; "Remember Allah, the Almighty SO much SO I that people start calling you crazy." (Ibn Kathrr from Musnad Ahmad)
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has narrated that the Holy And Sayyidnii 'Abdullzh Ibn 'Umar Prophet % has said that a gathering of people wherein Allah i s not mentioned would prove to be a matter of remorse on the Doomsday for those sitting therein. (Ahmad, Ibn KathIr) > , ,, + i %; 0 3 ("And proclaim His purity a t morn and eve". 33:42) Here morning and evening may, metaphorically, mean all t h e time. Alternatively, morning and evening have been mentioned specifically to lay emphasis on carrying out dhikrullah during these times a n d to indicate that it carries more blessings - otherwise dhikrullah is neither specified nor limited to any particular time.
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G $ & j \ (He i s such t h a t H e a n d H i s a n g e l s s e n d j $ j$ blessings to you. 33:43) It means that when you have become used to dhikrullah in abundance and have become regular i n recounting t h e perfections of Allah morning and evening, Allah would honor you and respect you by bestowing His Blessings and by the angels supplicating for you.
The word 'SalZhl has been used in this verse for Allah Ta'Elg a s well as for the angels but the applicable meaning are different. For Allah it means His bestowing blessings, and for angels who have no volition on their own, it means their supplication to Allah to bestow His blessings. Sayyidna Ibn 'AbbZs &$+has stated that SalZh from Allah is blessing, from angels i t i s p r a y e r f o r forgiveness a n d from h u m a n s i t i s supplication. The word SalZh carries all the three meanings. (Their greeting, the Day they will meet Him, will be, "SalZm" - 33:44). This is t h e explanation of t h e SalEh t h a t i s s e n t to believers from Allah. It means that the day they would meet Allah, they will be respectfully addressed by Him with t h e word, 'SalZm' i.e. (Assalamu 'alaykum) . The day of meeting Allah according to Imam

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RZghib, would be the Doomsday; some other leading exegetes say that it would be when they enter Paradise and they would receive SalZm from Allah Ta'ZlZ as well as from the angels; and yet other scholars consider it to be t h e day of d e a t h when they would leave t h e whole world to be present before Allah as stated by SayyidnZ 'AbdullZh Ibn Mas'ud & that when the Angel of Death goes to a believer to extract the spirit of life out of him, he gives him a message that his Lord has sent to him SalZm. The word 'meeting' is true i n all the three cases. Therefore there can be no objection or contradiction i n t h e traditions, because SalZm from Allah Ta'ZlZ is sent on all the three occasions.

Note
This verse h a s proved t h a t when Muslims meet each o t h e r , their greeting should be a s s a l a m u 'alaykum whether from t h e older to t h e younger or from the younger to the older.

Special Attributes of the Holy Prophet $&
0 prophet, We have sent you as a witness and a bearer of good news and a Warner and as one who calls (people) towards Allah with His permission, and as a luminous lamp. (33:45-46)

The text here reverts to t h e special perfect attributes of t h e Holy Prophet @. Five a t t r i b u t e s h a v e been mentioned h e r e - ' S h a h i d ' , 'mubashshir ' "nadhir', da'i ila Allah '. 'sirzj munir'. 'ShZh?dl (a witness) , means that the Holy Prophet will be a witness of the ummah on the Day of Judgment according to a hadith narrated by SayyidnZ Abii Sa'id a n d reported by BukhEr?, Nasa'i a n d Tirmidhi. I t is al-Khudri mentioned in some parts of that Hadith that on the Day of Judgment will be presented before Allah, he will be asked when Sayyidna NZh whether he had conveyed Allah's Message to his Ummah. He will reply that he did. Then his Ummah will be presented and they will deny having will be asked received any message of Allah. Then Sayyidna NZh whether he has any witness to his claim of having conveyed the message of t r u t h , a n d h e will reply t h a t M u h a m m a d @ a n d h i s U m m a h a r e witnesses. Some narrations have it that he will present the Ummah of Muhammad a s witness a n d t h i s Ummah will give evidence i n his favour. At this, the Ummah of Sayyidna NGh will argue 'How can they, who were not even born a t that time, give evidence in our case?'.

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Now the Ummah of Muhammad % will be asked to substantiate their evidence and they will answer that no doubt they were not born a t that time but they were told about it by their Holy Prophet % in whom they believe and trust. At this time the Holy Prophet $& will be asked to give testimony regarding the veracity of his Ummah's statement. Briefly, the Holy Prophet @ through his testimony, will confirm and verify the statement of his Ummah that, of course, he had given them that news. Another general meaning of being a witness for the Ummah may be that the Holy Prophet @ will give evidence about the good and bad deeds of all the individuals of his Ummah. And this evidence would be on the basis that the deeds of the Ummah are presented before the Holy Prophet every morning and evening daily; some narrations state that the deeds are presented once a week. The Holy Prophet @ thus recognizes each and every individual of his Ummah by their deeds and a s such h e will be made witness for the Ummah on the Doomsday. (Ibn al-Mubarak from Sa'id
Ibn al- Musayyab, Ma~har:)

'Mubashshshir' means bearer of good news, a n d a s such t h e Holy Prophet $ is t h e announcer of t h e good news of P a r a d i s e for t h e ! $ righteous people of his Ummah. 'Nadhir' means the one who warns; thus the Holy Prophet & also $ ! puts the fear of Allah's punishment in the hearts of his Ummah in case they violate or disobey the injunctions of Shari'ah. 'One who calls people to'Allahl means that the Holy Prophet % calls his Ummah to believe in Allah's Being, Oneness and obedience. The act of calling t o w a r d s Allah h a s been qualified by t h e p h r a s e 'with H i s permission'. I t means that the Holy Prophet calls and invites people towards Allah with His permission. This condition is a n indication that preaching a n d inviting towards Allah a r e very difficult t a s k s which cannot be performed successfully without Allah" permission and help. and ('MunIr') means luminous. The fifth attribute of the Holy Prophet % has been stated that he is a luminous lamp, and some are of the view that 'luminous lamp' refers here to the Qur'iin. But the context suggests that this is also an attribute of the Holy Prophet &.

~ I (Siriij) means lamp L

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~ Z d T h a n a ' u l l a h h a s s t a t e d i n TafsIr M a z h a r i t h a t " t h e Holy i prophet's $%function of calling towards Allah pertains to his speech and outward acts, his a t t r i b u t e of being a 'luminous lamp' pertains to his blessed heart. J u s t a s the sun illuminates the whole world, i n the same way, the hearts of the faithful become illuminated by the radiant light of his heart. That is why the noble companions who were the beneficiaries of his company i n t h i s world a r e superior a n d more exalted t h a n t h e whole of the Ummah, because their hearts were illuminated and graced by his heart directly; the rest of the Ummah received this radiant light indirectly through the noble companions and their successors a n d so on." It can also be said that all prophets, specially the Holy Prophet after having passed away from this world are alive in their graves. Their life in barzakh (transition between death and the Day of Resurrection) is much more superior than the transit-life of common people, the reality of which is known to Allah Ta'ZlZ only. However due to this life, the hearts of all Muslims would keep on receiving the radiant light of his blessed heart, and the share of each individual would be in accordance with the intensity of love and reverence he has towards the Holy Prophet % and the abundance of SalZh ( d u r u d ) he offers to him.

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The r a d i a n t light of t h e Holy Prophet & h a s been metaphorically described as a 'lamp', even though his inner radiance is far brighter than the sun. This is because the sun illuminates only the surface of the world, whereas his blessed heart illuminates the inside of the whole world and the hearts of the faithful. The reason for this simile appears to be that obtaining advantage from the light of a lamp is voluntary a n d available all the time easily, whereas approaching the sun is well-nigh impossible and its light is not available all the time. The attributes of the Holy Prophet a s stated in the Holy Qur'Zn, are also mentioned in Torah as reported by Imam BukhZZ t h a t SayyidnZ 'Ata' Ibn Yasar says t h a t one day when I met Sayyidna 'AbdullZh Ibn 'Amr Ibn al-'As & asked him to tell me the attributes of the Holy Prophet $ as stated in Torah. He said, "of course, I will tell you. By Allah! some of ! $ the attributes of the Holy Prophet mentioned in the Qur'En are also there in Torah" And then he quoted the following extract.

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"0 Prophet g! have sent you as a witness, as a bearer of We glad tidings , as a Warner and as a refuge and protection for the illiterate Arabs. You are My slave and messenger. I have named you "mutawakkil'(i.e. one who trusts in Allah). You are neither ill-tempered nor hard natured nor one who raises noise in the markets; you do not repay wickedness with wickedness, rather you forbear and forgive. Allah Ta'Zlila would not recall you from the world till He has straightened out the crooked Ummah through you and they s t a r t saying '1Z ilaha illallEh'. Allah would open up unseeing eyes, un-hearing ears and locked-up hearts through you".

The Holy Qur'an, after attributing the above qualities to t h e Holy Prophet B, is asking him to carry on his functions, that is, to give the good news to the faithful that they are going to receive great bounties a n d mercy from Allah a n d not to obey the desires of t h e infidels a n d hypocrites. I t was, though, not possible for the Holy Prophet @ obey the infidels and the hypocrites or to give up preaching and inviting people, yet t h e r e was a chance t h a t , i n order to avoid people's sarcasm a n d taunts, he might have inclined to avoid marrying Sayyidah Zainab dl dJ & t h a t was, i n fact, a practical demonstration of t h e divine rule of Sharyah. This has been alluded to as obeying the infidels and hypocrites. He was further directed not to mind any vexation that h e may receive from the infidels and hypocrites (as he did) and also not to worry about physical harm afflicted by them, but in case such a thought crosses his mind, he was directed to trust in Allah, because Allah is enough to put all matters right - He will protect him from all harms, and if a n apparent harm is caused during preaching, it is a gain in reality, and is not against the promise of protection and putting things right.

Verse 49

0 those who belieire, when you marry the believing women then divorce them before you have touched them, then they have no obligation of any 'iddah (waiting period) for you that you may count. So give them (due) benefits, and release them in a pleasant manner. [49]
Commentary have Some attributes and the special eminence of the Holy Prophet been mentioned i n t h e preceding verse. Some special r u l e s t h a t a r e exclusive to him in matters of marriage and divorce are intended to be mentioned in forthcoming verses in which he has a distinction over the general Ummah. But before that, a general rule regarding divorce has been mentioned a s a prologue which is applicable to a l l Muslims i n general. There are three injunctions regarding divorce in this verse. The first injunction is that if after nikah (marriage) a woman is (Al-khalwah divorced before the spouses have had full privacy 1A*-$ahihah), t h e n s h e is not liable to a n y period of 'iddah (waiting period),which m e a n s t h a t s h e c a n e n t e r i n t o a n o t h e r m a r r i a g e immediately. I n t h e present verse, 'touching' m e a n s h a v i n g sexual intercourse, either actually or by presumption, because if t h e spouses meet together a t a private place without any apprehension of interference by someone and there is nothing to prevent them from having sex, this type of privacy ( A l - k h a l w a h A S - ~ a h i h a h c a r r i e s t h e s a m e l e g a l ) consequences a s a n actual intercourse. The s e c o n d injunction is t h a t t h e divorced woman should be separated gracefully and by giving some gifts to her. Giving something to a divorced woman a t the time of her departure is desirable according to Sunnah, and in some cases it is compulsory as elaborated in verse 236 of , ', ' Siirah Al-Baqarah (3; $& C"Y - There is no sin on ! you if you divorce women when you have not touched them. - 2:236). The use of the word 'mata" here is perhaps based on the wisdom that this word h a s a wide a n d general meaning a n d is applicable to anything which may be beneficial, which includes the woman's obligatory rights,

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Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 49

188

like mahr (dower), etc.,which means that the dower, if not already paid, has to be paid a t the time of divorce gladly; and it also includes her rights that are not compulsory, for example, a set of clothes to be gifted to her a t the time of departure, which is mustahab (commendable) i n respect of every divorced woman and the Qur'Zn has persuaded the husband for both, the compulsory as well as commendable rights. A leading scholar of Hadith 'Abd Ibn Humayd h a s n a r r a t e d t h e dictum of Sayyidnii Hasan & that every divorced woman has to be given something as mut'ah whether one has had Al-khalwah Assahlhah (full privacy) with her or not and whether her mahr (dower) was fixed or not.

Details of Mut'ah to be given at the time of Divorce Badai', the famous book of Hanafi fiqh has mentioned that mut'ah of
divorce means those clothes which a woman wears necessarily when going out. It includes a pair of trousers, long shirt, shawl and a large sheet a s covering from h e a d to feet. Clothes can be graded a s high quality, medium a n d ordinary. Muslim jurists have determined t h a t if both the husband and wife belong to wealthy families, the clothes have to be of high quality; if they are both poor, then the clothes should be of ordinary quality, a n d if one is poor a n d t h e other wealthy, t h e n t h e clothes may be of medium quality.

Islam's matchless teaching in discharging social obligations gracefully
Recognition of rights a n d a courteous behavior towards others is restricted in common practice to relatives, friends and a t the best i t is extended to common people. Recognizing and discharging of the rights of opponents and foes and devising rules and regulations for their execution is a distinct feature of Islamic teachings. Although many organizations have been established in our days exclusively for the protection of human rights, and some rules and regulations have also been devised for this purpose. Huge sums of money are collected as donations from all over the world for t h i s objective, b u t all of t h e m a r e politically oriented a n d whenever they do help the suffering people, such help is not available everywhere, nor is it without a motive. It is rather given to fulfill their own political a i m s . And, supposing, t h e s e o r g a n i z a t i o n s do s t a r t functioning properly to serve the suffering humanity, the most they can do is to help when some area is affected by a devastating storm, epidemic

disease, etc. But who would know about the suffering of individuals and single persons? Who can reach them? Let us look a t the matter of divorce which obviously is a result of mutual discord, anger a n d disharmony which usually results in the relationship which was established on the basis of extreme concord, love and affection changing to the opposite i.e combined emotions of h a t e enmity a n d revenge. The above mentioned verse of the Holy Qur'Zn and many other similar verses have given such instructions to Muslims to be observed right a t the time of divorce that they fully test gracefulness of behavior and courteous discharge of social obligations.The emotions keep on inciting one to take a s much revenge a s one can from the woman who has inflicted so much pain a n d agony to him that the relationship had to be terminated. But the noble Qur'Zn has bound the common divorced woman to stay during the period of 'iddah in the house of her husband; it has been made obligatory on the husband not to t u r n t h e divorced woman out of his house during t h e period of 'iddah and to continue to provide her the usual daily maintenance and upkeep d u r i n g t h a t period. I t h a s also been made desirable for t h e husband to give her mut'ah i.e. a set of clothes a t the time of departure after completion of the period of 'iddah and to release her with grace and respect. Only those women a r e exempt from t h e period of 'iddah who have only gone through nikah without stepping i n t o t h e husband's house, without having had true privacy, but more stress h a s been laid on offering mut'ah to them as compared to other women.

0 prophet, We have made lawful for you all your wives w h o m y o u h a v e g i v e n t h e i r d o w e r s , And t h o s e (bondwomen) whom you own, out of the captives Allah has given to you as spoils of war, and daughters of your paternal uncle, and daughters of your paternal aunts, and daughters of your maternal uncle, and daughters of your maternal aunts, who have migrated with you, and a believing woman who offers herself for (marrying) the prophet without dower, if the prophet wishes to bring her into his marriage, these rules being exclusive for you, and not for the (rest of the) believers, --We know what We have prescribed for them in respect of their wives a n d the slave-girls they own ---so t h a t there s h o u l d b e n o d i f f i c u l t y f o r you. And Allah i s Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [50] You may postpone (the turn) of any one you wish from among them, and may accommodate with you any one you wish. And should you recall any one from those whom you kept aside, there is no blame on you. It is more likely, in this way, that their eyes will stay content, and they will not grieve, and all of them will be happy with whatever you give to them. And Allah knows whatever lies in your hearts. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. [51] No women a r e lawful for you after this, nor is i t lawful that you replace them ( the present wives) with other wives, even though their goodness may attract you,

except the bond-women you own. And Allah is watchful of every thing. [52] Commentary These verses contain seven injunctions about marriage and divorce that are specific to the Holy Prophet % and these specifics signify his distinctive eminence and his special honor. Some of these injunctions are such that their being specific to the Holy Prophet &!!$ is absolutely plain and obvious and some of them are such that, despite their being general for all Muslims, they are subject to certain conditions and qualifications that are specific to the Holy Prophet &!!$. details are given below: The The F i r s t i n j u n c t i o n
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( 0 prophet We h a v e m a d e lawful (halZl) for you all your wives whom you have given their dowers - 50.) Apparently, this ruling is general for all Muslims, because their existing wives are lawful for them too, but the reason for its being specific is that, at the time of revelation of this verse, the Holy Prophet % had more than four wives, while it is not permissible for Muslims in general to keep more than four wives a t any time. So it was particular for the Holy Proph'et % that having more than four wives was made lawful for him.
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The words, p J r l&) "whom you have given their dowers" in this verse are not of restrictive nature nor a pre-condition for permissibility of keeping them as wives, but it is a statement of fact that the Holy Prophet had paid t h e m a h r (dower) of all t h e women with whom h e had performed nikah promptly in cash and did not leave it a s debt payable by him. His noble practice was to pay or give whatever was d u e to him immediately a n d becbme f r e e of t h e liability,without delaying i t unnecessarily. T h e s t a t e m e n t of this fact i s t o persuade Muslims in general to follow this practice. The second Injunction Gtjli; L j (And those (bond women) whom you own ;'1 L& out of the captives Allah has given to you as spoils of war").

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The word G used here for the spoils of war is ;j 'fair G which in its technical sense i s restricted to t h e wealth acquired from t h e enemy without actual fighting. But a t times i t is used for t h e spoils of war acquired through actual fighting. Here the word i s used i n a general

Siirah al-Ahzab : 33 : 50 - 52
-

192

sense. Moreover, it does not mean that only those slave-girls will be lawful for him who would come to him as his share in the spoils of war, but the permissibility covers those bondwomen also who were purchased by him. But, apparently, in this injunction, there is nothing particular for the Holy Prophet $ because this is a rule for all Muslims and the whole ! Ummah t h a t those bondwomen whom they own a s their share in the spoils of war or those who are purchased for a price are lawful for them. At the same time the style of the context indicates that the injunctions contained in these verses should have some special applications for the Holy Prophet $! . As such it is stated in 'Riih ul-Ma'Zni' as a particularity $ of the Holy Prophet that just as the nikah of any of his @ wives with any other Muslim is not lawful after him, similarly any of his bondwomen is not lawful for any Muslim after him $&. Accordingly t h e nikiih of Sayyidah Mariyah Al-Qibtiyyah & d >Jwho was sent by the Roman l Emperor Muqauqis as gift to the Holy Prophet was not made lawful for anyone after him.

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The third Injunction & -j &The daughters of paternal uncle and of paternal 4 i aunts and the daughters of the maternal uncle and of maternal a u n t have been made lawful for the Holy Prophet @. This injunction includes all the women of his "father's family and of his mother's family". And this rule is, though, applicable to all Muslims in general, yet in the case of the Holy Prophet it has been subjected to a condition imposed on him exclusively that they must have migrated with him from Makkah- not necessarily in his company or a t the same time, but the words, "with you" are to denote that they should have migrated a t any time in accordance w ~ t h command. If any of them did not migrate for any reason, they his did not become lawful for him as was the case with Umm Hani' & d /J, l the daughter of his paternal uncle Abii TZlib who, as per her statement, was not lawful for the Holy Prophet because she did not migrate from Makkah.

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Migration being the condition of lawfulness for the Holy Prophet $ $ ! was only with regard to the women of his parent's family. This condition was not applicable to other women in general - their being Muslim was enough. The wisdom in applying this condition of migration for t h e women of his parent's family was perhaps that the women of the family

are proud of their family which is unbecoming for the wife of a prophet. This propensity was taken care of by imposing the condition of migration, because only that women would migrate whose love for Allah and His $ ! Messenger $ prevails over her love for her family, home and property. Also, one h a s to suffer great difficulties d u r i n g migration a n d these sufferings i n t h e way of Allah have a special place i n ones spiritual reform.

Fourth Injunction:
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"And a believing woman who offers herself for (marrying) the prophet without dower if the prophet wishes to bring her into his marriage, these rules being exclusive for you, and not for the (rest of the) believers". (33:50) T h e exclusiveness of t h i s exception for t h e Holy P r o p h e t @ i s absolutely obvious, because dower i s a n e s s e n t i a l condition for t h e marriage of common Muslims, so much so that if, a t the time of marriage, the woman says that she does not want any dower or the man says that he will not pay any dower, even this mutual agreement is considered by Sharlah a s null and void, and dower a s prevalent in their families would become compulsory. Only t h e Holy Prophet h a s been exclusively p e r m i t t e d to m a r r y w i t h o u t dower w h e n t h e w o m a n is desirous of marriage with him without dower. Scholars differ i n determining whether t h e Holy P r o p h e t & did actually marry a woman without dower who offered herself for marriage ! $ without dower. Some scholars say that marriage of the Holy Prophet $ with a woman i n t h i s way i s not proved, whereas some o t h e r s have proved some such marriages (R* ul-MaZni) Some scholars have considered the sentence 3b,c ( exclusively for you) to be specific t o t h e f o u r t h i n j u n c t i o n , w h e r e a s s o m e o t h e r commentators like Zamkhshri, etc., have applied it to all the injunctions mentioned before i t , meaning t h a t all the above mentioned rules a r e And a t the end it is stated %$ exclusively for the Holy Prophet i y which means that these injunctions have been made exclusive to save him from a n y difficulty. Of t h e s e for t h e Holy P r o p h e t

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exclusive rules mentioned above, the first rule wherein more than four wives have been allowed for him a n d t h e fourth rule t h a t marriage without dower h a s been made lawful for him a r e obviously meant to facilitate and remove difficulties; but the second, third and fifth rules apparently add more conditions which should increase difficulty. But this is a hint that despite these conditions being apparently more strict, they are, in fact, for his good because in their absence he would have suffered from mental anguish. As such, even t h e additional conditions a r e to remove his difficulty.

Fifth Injunction: The fifth injunction deduced from the words "believing women" in the above verses is t h a t unlike the common Muslims who can m a r r y t h e % ! Christian or Jewish women, it is not permissible for the Holy Prophet $ to marry them. I t is necessary for him that his wives are h4uslims.
After stating the exclusiveness of the five rules for the Holy Prophet B, t h e Holy Qur'En h a s briefly mentioned t h e r u l e for Muslims i n general:

+ & ,; ! G; +s + i;i ,& , ,, "We know what We have re scribed for them in respect of their
wives and the slave girls they own" - 50. It means that the above mentioned rules are exclusive for the Holy Prophet @, but a s for the marriage of other Muslims, Allah Knows what He has prescribed for them. For example, no Muslim can marry a woman without dower and a Muslim is allowed to marry a Christian or a Jewish woman. Similarly, the conditions in the previous rules determined to be obligatory for the Holy Prophet @ are not applicable to other Muslims. - 5 (so that there should be Towards the end, it is said, no difficulty for you - 50). It means that these special injunctions in the matter of nikZh for the Holy Prophet @ were prescribed so t h a t he does not face any difficulty. As for the restrictions and conditions imposed on the Holy Prophet $$ a n d not on other Muslims which a p p e a r to be difficult, but keeping in view the expedience and wisdom under which the restrictions were placed, those restrictions were, i n fact, to remove t h e spiritual discomfort and embarrassment.

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So far five rules of marriage have been enunciated which have some exclusiveness for the Holy Prophet % Further on two rules have been stated which are related to the above five rules.

Sixth Injunctions

("You may postpone (the turn) of any one you wish from among them, and may accommodate with you any one The normal you wish." - 51) This rule is specific to the Holy Prophet rule is that a Muslim husband having more than one wife must distribute his nights between his wives in equal numbers and similarly must provide means of sustenance and maintenance to each one of them equally. I t is not permissible to violate the principle of equality. But the Holy Prophet @ has been exempted from this rule and has been allowed to postpone the turn of any one of his blessed wives according to his own expedience; he could also recall the one whose turn he had postponed earlier.
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that he was exempted Allah Almighty so honored the Holy Prophet from observing equality between his wives but the Holy Prophet $& never availed of this concession in practice; he always maintained full equality between all his blessed wives. Imam Abii Bakr al-Jassas has stated that a s per narrations of Hadlth, t h e Holy Prophet always maintained equality between the blessed wives even after the revelation of this verse; he goes on to a HadTth from Sayyidah 'A'ishah L p dl d,,with his own chain of narrators, which is also available in Musnad Ahmad, TirmidhT, Nasa'I, Abii DZwiid etc.:

"The Messenger of Allah % used to maintain equality between all wives and used to supplicate, "0 Allah I have maintained equality in whatever is within my power (meaning provision of means of sustenance and in spending of nights), so do not reprove me for that which is not within my power (meaning love and affection being more for someone and less for another that is not within one's control). According to another narration, also from Sayyidah 'A'ishah d & l , had to postpone his lgcc and reported by BukhZri, if the Holy Prophet visit to any of the blessed wives a t her turn, for some reason, h e would seek her permission even after the revelation of this verse wherein he was

exempted from observing equality between his blessed wives Another Hadith is also well known and is found in all books of HadTth t h a t when i t became difficult for the Holy Prophet d u r i n g his last illness to move between the houses of his blessed wives on daily basis, he sought permission from all of them before s t a y i n g i n t h e house of d dJ l where he passed the remaining days of his Sayyidah 'A'ishah illness. It was the habit of all the prophets in general, and that of the Holy Prophet @ in particular, that whenever a concession was given to them by Allah Ta'ZlZ in a rule of Shari'ah, they generally used to act upon the original rule as a demonstration of their gratitude to Allah, and did not avail of the concession egcept a t a time of a dire need.

The wisdom of Sixth Injunction
The Holy Qur'Zn has then stated the wisdom of the sixth injunction i.e. exempting the Holy Prophet % from maintaining equality between his wives and making all options open for him in this regard. I n the words of the Holy Qur'Zn the wisdom behind this exemption was the following, ,, ,,, s , ,, , , $$.I) s p . Y.I) ep ;11 3';' $ l ,, i (it is more likely, in this way, that their eyes will stay content, and they will not grieve, and all of them will be happy with whatever you give to them. - 51)
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A doubt may arise here that, apparently, this rule of exemption would 2, may and be against the wishes and intent of the blessed wives cause them anguish; how can i t be considered to be a source of their happiness? In answer to this question, one has to bear in mind that the real reason for one's grievanceis one's perception of his or her due rights. If one believes t h a t a c e r t a i n r i g h t is d u e on somebody a n d h e is neglecting or violating i t , t h e n one feels h u r t a n d aggrieved. But if somebody who does not owe us anything and still gives u s something, this act of kindness generates sheer pleasure. Accordingly, when it has been s t a t e d t h a t i t i s not obligatory upon t h e Holy Prophet & to observe hl pJrather he may use his equality among all the blessed wives discretion, then whatever attention and company a wife gets from him would be considered a favor and an act of courtesy and kindness which would be a source of happiness and satisfaction. At the end of this injunction the Holy Qur'an has declared:

The context of the foregoing and forthcoming verses is the mention of $ the rules peculiar to the Holy Prophet $ in the matter of marriage. I n between these rules, t h e statement t h a t Allah knows whatever lies i n your hearts and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise does not appear to bear a n y nexus with t h e subject. I t is s t a t e d i n RGh u l - M a ' a n i t h a t t h e permission given to the Holy Prophet to marry more t h a n four wives or to marry without dower could have created satanic scruples in somebody's mind. So, this verse, coming in between, has directed t h a t Muslims have to guard themselves against such suspicions a n d scruples a n d have to firm up their faith that all these exclusive exemptions are given by Allah Almighty on the basis of His infinite wisdom and expedience, and that the selfish desires have no room here. T h e p i o u s life of t h e Holy P r o p h e t and t h e i s s u e of p o l y g a m y The enemies of Islam have always targeted the issue of polygamy, specially t h e n u m b e r of t h e wives of t h e Holy P r o p h e t @ for t h e i r ! $ criticism. But if the whole life of the Holy Prophet $ is kept in view, even the Satan cannot find scope to cast doubts on the character of the Holy I t is a proved fact t h a t his first marriage a t t h e age of Prophet twenty-five was with Sayyidah Khadijah igr P J who was a n aged widow with children a n d h a d been married twice before. T h e Holy Prophet spent his whole prime of life, upto the age of fifty, with that aged wife only. All these fifty years were spent right before the eyes of the people of Makkah who had started his opposition when he was of forty years and had announced his prophethood. His opponents did not leave any stone unturned in harassing and stigmatizing him. They called him a magician, a poet, a mad man, b u t no enemy could ever find a single chance to cast doubts in his piety, modesty or purity.

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At the age of fifty, after the death of Sayyidah Khadijah, h e married l who was also a widow. Sayyidah Sawdah igr d

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After migration to Madinah, a t t h e age of fifty-four, i n t h e second l came to the Holy Prophet's year of Hijrah, Sayyidah 'A'ishah igr d a home as wife. He married Sayyidah Hafsah l+.s dl dJ year later and

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Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 50 - 52
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Sayyidah Zainab bint Khuzaymah Lw 4.h ' a few days after that, who J expired a few months later. He married Sayyidah Umm Salamah d >J l &, a widow with children, in the year 4 of Hijrah. In the year 5 when , he was fifty eight years old, he married Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh & l hl in accordance with Allah's order, as detailed in the beginning of the p present surah. The rest of the blessed wives entered his house in the last five years. The rules pertaining to the private life of a prophet and his domestic affairs constitute a m a j o ~ portion of a religion. The contribution of these nine blessed wives kp A\ & to the propagation and education of Islam J can be imagined from the fact that Sayyidah 'fishah & d J alone narrated two thousand two hundred and ten ahEdith and Sayyidah Umm S a l a m a h lg-E d 2 n a r r a t e d t h r e e h u n d r e d a n d sixty-eight l , ahEdith which have been collected i n reliable books. Hafiz Ibn alQayyim, in his I'lmul Muwaqqi'in, has commented that the ruliings of Shari'ah (fatawa) disclosed by Sayyidah Umm Salamah L p &I HJwould constitute a separate book. More than two hundred noble companions of the Holy Prophet & were disciples of Sayyidah 'xishah L+.s p J who learnt hadith, fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and fatawa from her.

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Another wisdom of bringing a number of the blessed wives I-61 p J to the house of the Holy Prophet ?$! was to attract their clans towards $ Islam. After keeping these facts in view and considering t h e general pattern of his pure life, can one find any scope for saying t h a t t h e multiplicity of his wives was, Allah forbid, to fulfill selfish or sexual desires? If this was the case, why the last stage of life would have been selected for this purpose after spending the whole prime of life either in celibacy or with a n aged widow. This subject along with the religious, intellectual, biological and economic issues of the polygamy h a s been thoroughly discussed with full details under the explanation of the third verse of Siirah Nisa' in volume I1 of this book.
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(No women are lawful for you after this, nor is it lawful that you replace them (the present wives) with other wives, even though their goodness may attract you.- 52),

The words r>"after this" in this verse may be interpreted in two ways. One is that no women are lawful for you after the present wives. Some noble companions and leading commentators have adopted this meaning. Sayyidna Anas & has stated that when the blessed wives were given the choice by Allah Ta'ZlZ to either opt for the pleasure of the worldly life and its charms but separation from the Holy Prophet or to remain with him and be content with every economic condition they may face, all of them gave up their demand for increase i n maintenance a n d elected to r e m a i n with him. Allah Ta'Zla, a s a r e w a r d for t h e i r decision, restricted the Holy Prophet to those nine wives a n d i t was no more permissible for him to marry other women. (Al-Baihaqi, as quoted by
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SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas has stated that Allah Ta'alZ has restricted the blessed wives pJ exclusively to the Holy Prophet $ in that ! $ they could not marry anybody after him. Similarly, the Holy Prophet has been restricted to the blessed wives in the sense t h a t h e could not m a r r y a n y o t h e r women. SayyidnZ ' I k r i m a h h a s a l s o given t h i s explanation a s per one narration.

The second interpretation of these words, a s reported by different authorities, like Ibn 'AbbZs, 'Ikrimah and Mujahid, according to some "after this" means it is not lawful for the Holy narrations is that 4 Prophet @ to marry any women beyond the categories mentioned in the earlier verse. For example, the earlier verse has allowed for him only those women of his parents' families who had migrated from Makkah to Madinah either with him or later, according to his command; similarly the restriction t h a t his wife must be a Muslim h a s made t h e Christian or Jewish women unlawful for him. As such the meaning of the words, "after this" would be that he cannot marry those women who do not fall in the categories made lawful for him. Thus, according to this explanation, this is not a new injunction; i t is r a t h e r a n elaboration to highlight t h e consequential outcome of t h e rule already laid down i n t h e preceding verse . According to t h i s interpretation, t h i s verse does not prohibit marriage with other women after t h e nine blessed wives h~ dl; instead, it prohibits marriage with non-Muslims and with women of the parents families who did not migrate, as already known from the previous verse.

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This second interpretation finds support from a narration of Sayyidah 'Bishah igc hi pJ the effect that the permission of further marriages to remained applicable for him (even after the revelation of the present verse)

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The clear meaning of these words in view of the second explanation of this verse is t h a t although the Holy Prophet $#$ is permitted to marry other women besides h i s p r e s e n t wives subject t o t h e conditions mentioned, yet it is not lawful for him to divorce a wife and to marry another woman to replace her. However, the meaning of these words in view of the first explanation of this verse would be that he can neither marry any woman in addition to t h e present wives, nor can he replace them by divorcing one a n d marrying another. Towards the end of these verses it is clarified t h a t a bond woman is exempt from fifth and seventh rules in owned by the Holy Prophet the sense that she is lawful for him, even if she is a Christian or Jew, and it is also permitted for him to replace her with another bondwoman. Lastly it has been reminded that Allah Ta'ZlZ is watchful of everything's reality, appearance and underlying reasons. All these injunctions and rules are based on divine wisdom and expedience, even if the wisdom is not stated specifically, and hence no one has the right to question them or raise objections against them.

Verses 53 - 55

0 those who believe, do not e n t e r t h e houses of t h e Prophet, unless you are permitted for a meal, not (so early as) to wait for its preparation. But when you are invited, go inside. Then, once you have had t h e meal, then disperse, and (do) not (sit for long) being keen for a chat. This (conduct of yours) hurts the Prophet, but he feels shy of (telling) you (about it). And Allah is not shy of the t r u t h . And when you ask any thing from t h e m (the blessed wives of t h e Prophet), a s k t h e m f r o m behind a curtain. That is better for the purity of your hearts and their hearts. And it is not allowed for you t h a t you h u r t Allah's Messenger, nor t h a t you ever m a r r y his wives a f t e r him. Indeed, i t would be a n enormity in the sight of Allah. [53] If you disclose any thing, or conceal it, Allah is All-Knowing about every thing. [54] There is no sin for them (the wives of t h e Prophet) i n ( a p p e a r i n g without h i j a b before) t h e i r f a t h e r s , o r t h e i r b r o t h e r s , o r t h e sons of t h e i r brothers, o r t h e sons of t h e i r sisters, o r t h e i r own (Muslim) women, or their slave-girls. And ( 0 wives of t h e Prophet,) fear Allah. Surely, Allah is witness to every thing. [55]

Commentary These verses have laid down some etiquettes and rules of Islamic social behavior. The reason for mentioning them in the context of the previous verses is that these rules were initially revealed for the Holy Prophet's household and his wives, although their applicability is not specific or exclusive to him.

The First Injunction Etiquettes for hosts and guests

(0 those who believe, do not enter the houses of the Prophet, unless you are permitted for a meal, not (so early as) to wait for its preparation. But when you are invited, go inside. Then, once you have had the meal, then disperse, and (do) not (sit for long) being keen for a chat. This (conduct of yours) hurts the Prophet, but he feels shy of (telling) you (about it). And Allah is not shy of the truth). (3353)
This verse has laid down three rules pertaining to a situation where a person is invited to have meal i n someone's house. These rules a r e applicable to all Muslims in general, but since they were prompted by a n incident which took place in the house of the Holy Prophet $&, therefore house has been mentioned in the text. the Prophet's The first rule i s : P d i 3 3 Y! $1 LJ* t*&L Y "Do not enter the houses of 1 the Prophet, unless you are permitted.." The second etiquette is that despite invitation to dine and permission to enter the house, one should not enter the house so early a s to wait for the meal's preparation; rather he should go inside the house when he is invited to do so. The third etiquette is that once the invitees have had the meal, they should disperse and should not sit for long being keen for a chat. This direction is restricted to the general cases where guests' sitting for long after having the meal causes inconvenience to the host, either because the host wants to get busy with hi's own work, or because he has to serve meals to others after these guests. But where the practice and norm is that the guests remaining busy in conversation till late after they had their meals does not pose any problem for t h e hosts, a s i t h a s become customary in dinners and parties these days, this rule would not apply, because the next sentence of the verse has specifically highlighted the reason of this rule where it is said that this behavior brings discomfort to the Holy Prophet $&. In the specific incident that was the cause of the revelation of this verse, the meals were served in the ladies apartments of the Holy Prophet and the discomfort caused to the family members
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The verse also states that although such behavior of the guests hurts yet since they are his own guests, he feels shy of the Holy Prophet telling and educating them them about it, but Allah Ta'ZlE is not shy of telling them the truth.

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The above sentence of the verse also tells us the extent to which a host is required to show respect a n d give honor a n d regard to his guests, because despite the fact that it was one of the obligations of the Holy prophet $ to teach people how they should behave when they are invited ! as guests, he postponed to teach his own guests this etiquette (lest they should feel disgraced) till Allah Ta'ZlZ Himself taught this etiquette in the Qur'an.

The Second Injunction - Hijab for Women
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And when you ask any thing from them (the blessed wives of the Prophet), ask them from behind a curtain. That is better for the purity of your hearts and their hearts. (33:53) This rule has also been prompted by a particular incident involving b u t t h e rule is general for t h e whole Ummah. t h e blessed wives Briefly, the rule states that if non-mahram men have to ask anything of common use from women, they should ask them from behind a curtain not face to face. The reason stated for this rule is that it is better for the purity of the hearts of both.

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The special Importance of Women's Hijab It is worth noting here that the men and women who a r e the direct addressees of these rules of hijab are, on the one hand, the women who are the blessed wives L+s p of the Holy Prophet $ the purification , $ ! of whose h e a r t s h a s been u n d e r t a k e n by Allah Ta'ZlZ Himself a s mentioned in the verse preceding the present one, and on the other hand they are the men who are the noble companions ~$5of the Holy Prophet @ many of whom have been exalted even above angels. Despite all these credentials, hijab was deemed to be necessary between men and women for the purity of their hearts and to protect them from sensual scruples. Who c a n claim t h a t h i s inner-self is p u r e r t h a n those of t h e noble companions & and the inner-selves of his women are purer t h a n those of

the blessed wives hi pJ thus believe that mixing of men and and women would not have any bad consequences?

The Background of the revelation of these verses
Different incidents have been related by t h e commentators a s t h e background for t h e revelation of t h e t h e s e verses. B u t t h e r e i s no contradiction between these narrations, because it is likely that all these incidents combined together constitute the reason for the revelation. As for the first verse which lays down the etiquettes of guests, its background is mentioned by Sulayman Ibn Arqam, as reported by Ibn Abi Hatim, that it was revealed about some boorish people who would enter a house without being invited and keep waiting there for t h e preparation of a meal. And Imam 'Abd Ibn Humaid has reported the statement of Sayyidna Anas $5 that this verse was revealed about some people who would look 4 for an opportunity to enter and sit in the Holy Prophet's house well before t h e t i m e of dining, r e m a i n busy i n c o n v e r s a t i o n b e t w e e n themselves till t h e preparation of t h e meal a n d t h e n would join t h e dining. These incidents took place before the injunction of hijab when men used to enter women's apartments. As for the second rule relating to the hijab of women, Imam Bukhari h a s cited two narrations about t h e reason for i t s revelation. One is narrated by Sayyidna Anas & that Sayyidna 'Umar Ibn KhattZb & said to the Holy Prophet @, "0 Messenger of Allah ! you are visited by all sorts of people, a n d a s such i t appears advisable t h a t you order your hi pJ observe HijZb". At this, the verse of hijab was to blessed wives revealed. Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim both have reported the following statement of SayyidnZ 'Umar Ibn KhattZb & :

Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 53 - 55
"My opinion appeared to be in consonance with my Lord in three things. One is that I asked the Holy Prophet @ to adopt the Station of IbrZhTm (MaqZm IbrZhTm) as the place of your : ;'; prayers (Sala). Then Allah Ta'ZlZ revealed the verse j I&! $>i,!cz (And take the Station of IbrZhim as a place of prayer). And I said to the Holy Prophet 2 that all sorts of good and bad people appear before your blessed wives w d dJ it l ; hijiib. Then the verse would be better if you ask them to observe l of of hijiib was revealed. And when the blessed wives w d the Holy Prophet % developed envy between themselves, I told them that if the Messenger of Allah % divorces you, it is not unlikely that Allah Ta'ZlZ may provide him wives better than you. So Qur'an was revealed in the same very words."
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Sayyidna 'Umar's respectful speech is worth noting t h a t instead of saying that his Lord accorded with him in three things, he said that his opinion was found to be in consonance with Him in three things. Another narration reported in Sahih of BukhZri, also from SayyidnZ Anas & is that he said:

"I know the facts about the verse of hijab more than anybody else, l because I was present when Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh @ d dJ,
after her marriage with the Holy Prophet entered his house and was present in the house with him, when some of the people whom he had invited for walimah ( t h e d i n i n g a r r a n g e d a f t e r c o n s u m m a t i o n of marriage) which he had got prepared for them, just kept sitting there and talking. The narration in Tirmidhi adds that the Holy Prophet $$ was also present there along with Sayyidah Zainab d 2, she had l and turned her face towards the wall due to modesty. The Holy Prophet % was displeased by t h e people sitting there so long; h e went out of the house to meet and greet other blessed wives hi 2,. he came When back, they were still there. And then they realized and dispersed. The Holy Prophet entered the house, but came out after a little while. I was present there. He recited this verse of hijab which had been revealed just a t that time. The narrations of HadTth mention these three incidents a s the causes for the revelation of the verses of hijab. There is no contradiction between t h e m , because possibly a l l t h e t h r e e i n c i d e n t s combined t o g e t h e r constitute the cumulative cause of the revelation of these verses.

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The Third Injunction

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The first p a r t of t h i s verse h a s declared all such u t t e r a n c e s a n d actions unlawful ( h a r a m ) which cause anguish or h u r t to t h e Holy Then it is laid down that no one can marry his blessed wives Prophet M&I 2 after him. ,

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All the rules mentioned in this verse are though addressed to the Holy Prophet % or his blessed wives p, , their application is general for the whole Ummah, except this last rule which is specific to the blessed d 2 that they cannot marry any one after him, while the l , wives rule for the Ummah in general is that after the death of the husband, his wife can marry another person after the expiry of the period of 'iddah. The reason may be that according to Qur'Zn, the blessed wives of the Holy Prophet % are mothers of the Muslims, and although their being mothers does not affect their spiritual offspring in the sense that, being brothers and sisters, they would not be able to marry each other, yet their motherhood was limited to their own-selves in the sense that they cannot marry anyone. It may also be said that they Holy Prophet % is alive in his honored expiry being like a husband missing from his home. That is grave, his why his inheritance was not distributed, and that is why his blessed wives d dJ not in the same situation as that of the wives of common l were men after the death of their husbands. Another reason for this injunction is t h a t according to t h e rule of Sharpah, every woman i n Paradise would be with h e r l a s t husband. SayyidnZ Hudhaifah ~$4 had told his wife a t his death t h a t if you wish to be my wife i n P a r a d i s e , do not m a r r y a n y one a f t e r m e because i n Paradise, a woman would go to her last husband. (Qurtubi) So, the honor that Allah Ta'ZlX had bestowed upon the blessed wives Md pJ this world was thus preserved for them in paradise also by l in forbidding their marriage to anyone after him. Besides, no h u s b a n d n a t u r a l l y likes t h a t h i s wife should m a r r y

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anyone, but for common people, the Shari'ah did not make it necessary to fulfill this desire. Allah Ta'ZlZ, by respecting this natural desire of the Holy Prophet bestowed a n exclusive honour upon him. There is a consensus i n the Ummah t h a t the above rules apply to all the blessed wives dl & who remained in the bond of marriage with , the Holy Prophet till his expiry. However there are different views about whether or not this rule is applicable to those of his wives who were either divorced by him or who separated from him for some other reason. Qurtubi has detailed these views.

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Allah - 53). It means that causing any harm to or to h u r t the Holy Prophet in any way or to marry his wives after him would be a n enormity in the eyes of Allah.
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conceal it, Allah is All-Knowing about every thing - 33:54). I t has been repeated again in this verse that Allah Ta'alii knows even the intents and thoughts hidden in the hearts. So whether you disclose or conceal, Allah Ta'KlE knows it all.What is being emphasized here is that one should not l e t a n y d o u b t o r s u s p i c i o n e n t e r one's m i n d o r h e a r t a b o u t t h e above-stated rules, and must avoid any violation of these rules. The issue of Hijab for women, out of t h e t h r e e injunctions i n t h e above mentioned verse, needs some further elaboration which is being given below.

Injunctions of HijZb
And the Islamic system for prevention of misdeeds
Immodesty, adultery and the overtures leading to them are some of those d e s t r u c t i v e evils of t h i s world which do not only affect t h e individuals, b u t also r u i n families a n d tribes, a n d sometimes destroy large countries a s well. If the cases of murder and plunder in this world are thoroughly investigated, sexual emotions would be found behind the scenes. This is the reason t h a t ever since this world came into existence, there has been no nation, religion or region that has not unanimously believed in the evil and destructive nature of these misdeeds.

The European nations in the present age, after doing away with the religions limits and breaking away from their ancient a n d entrenched customs and traditions, do not consider adultery a crime in itself and they have moulded their culture and society i n such a fashion t h a t sexual anarchy and immodest acts are permitted freely, but even they could not exclude the consequences of these evil acts from the list of the crimes prostitution, rape and obscenities in public had to be declared punishable offences. This is really comparable to somebody collecting inflammables, sprinkling oil on them, then setting them on fire and when it bursts into flames, then prohibiting the flames and taking measures to stop them. Another example would be to kindle a fire under a cooking pot and then try to stop it from steaming and boiling. I s l a m , on t h e o t h e r h a n d , when declares some h a r m f u l a c t s a s punishable offences, it also imposes restrictions on the overtures leading to them and declares them forbidden also. In the present case the real objective was to prevent adultery and fornication. So the start was made by the rule to keep one's eyes down, by preventing free mixing of men and women, by directing women to stay inside the four walls of houses; by requiring women to cover their bodies from head to feet by means of a covering dress called 'burqa' or simply by a longish shawl when they have to go out due to some need, and to walk on the side of the street and not to wear perfume or to wear a'ringing ornament when going out. If someone crosses a l l t h e s e limits, breaks all t h e s e b a r r i e r s a n d defies a l l t h e restrictions to do what is forbidden, then the punishment is so severe and terrifying that once it is given to some adulterer or fornicator, the whole nation would learn a n unforgettable lesson. The Europeans and their camp-followers have put forward arguments justifying their obscenities by trying to prove the hijab for women to be harmful for the society in regard to women's health, economic and social status and by trying to prove the benefits for women being without hijab. Their detailed rejoinder has been given by many modern scholars in their books. Here it would be adequate to understand that no crime or sin is devoid of some gain or benefit. Even stealing, robbery, cheating a r e very profitable i n some respects. But when t h e destructive h a r m s t h a t t a k e place a s a result a n d consequence of these acts come to view, nobody

dares to call them profitable businesses. The absence of hijiib for women, even if it has economic gains, cannot be called beneficial by sensible and wise people when it engulfs the whole nation and the country i n mischief and disorder.

The Golden Islamic Principle of Barring the Ways and Means for Prevention of Crimes in a moderate manner J u s t a s t h e basic principles of faith, like belief i n t h e Oneness of Allah, the prophethood and in the life Hereafter are common the religious systems of all the prophets, similarly crimes, obscenities and evil deeds have been h e l d u n l a w f u l ( h a r a m ) i n all revealed l a w s a n d divine religions. B u t i n t h e previous religions a n d t h e i r laws, t h e ways a n d means which led to the violations were not declared absolutely unlawful in themselves, unless a crime or sin was committed through them. But since the SharI'ah of Islam has to be be in force till the Doomsday, it has been safeguarded by Allah Ta'ZlK specially in that not only the crimes and sins but even their causes and means that normally lead one to those crimes and sins have been declared unlawful themselves. For example, when drinking was forbidden, t h e processing, selling purchasing a n d presentation of alcoholic d r i n k s was also forbidden. Similarly when interest and usury was forbidden, then all affairs involving interest or resembling usury were also declared unlawful. That is why t h e Islamic jurists have declared all profits derived from invalid businesses to be filthy earning like interest. To associate any being with Allah Ta'Zla (Shirk) and idolatry have been declared by Qur'an to be the greatest injustice and unpardonable sins, so severe prohibitions have been placed on t h e i r causes and means also. Since the polytheists (mushrikin) used to worship the sun a t sunrise, sunset and a t midday, saying of prayers (Salah) in those particular times would bear a resemblance to sun worshipers and this resemblakce itself could lead to 'Shirk', therefore the revealed laws declared even saying of prayers (Salah) and prostration (Sajdah) to be unlawful (Haram) in those times. Statues and pictures of idols are very close to idolatry, so sculpturing of idol's s t a t u e s a n d making of t h e i r pictures is forbidden and their usage is not permissible.
Similarly while forbidding adultery, all i t s immediate causes a n d means have also been declared unlawful by Shari'ah. To look a t any boy or woman with sexual lust is held as a fornication through the eyes, to

hear their speech with that intent is held a s fornication through the ears, to touch them a s fornication through t h e h a n d s a n d to walk i n their pursuit as fornication through the feet, as recorded in authentic Hadith. The injunctions of h i j a b for women were revealed to safeguard one against these very sins. But there is a very long list of causes and means - immediate and distant. if even the distant causes of a sinful act are forbidden, life would become very difficult a n d considerable difficulty would be faced i n carrying out day-to-day affairs which is a g a i n s t t h e n a t u r e of t h i s

& religion. The Holy Qur'iin's open declaration in this matter is: $ ,, , . It means that no difficulty has been placed on you in religion. 5,~a Therefore, in the matter of causes and means, it was wisely decided that those acts and deeds which are such immediate causes of any sin that, generally, one who commits them does necessarily get involved in that sin, have been annexed with the real sin and forbidden a s well. If one commits some acts and deeds that are distant causes of a sin and do not necessarily involve one generally i n t h a t sin, but they do have some share in the involvement in i t , they have been declared reprehensible (makruh). Those causes which are even farther away from involving one in a sin, and which cause one's involvement in very rare cases, they have been considered permissible.
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An example of the first case is selling of alcoholic drinks which has been declared a s unlawful as drinking itself, because it is a n immediate means of drinking. Similarly touching a non-mahram woman, although not fornication in itself, but since it is a n immediate cause and means for it, it has also been declared unlawful like the fornication is unlawful. An example of the second case would be selling of grapes to a person about whom i t is known t h a t he would make wine out of t h e grapes, either because he is a wine maker by profession or because he h a s clearly said that this is his purpose for its purchase. This is not unlawful in the same way as selling of alcoholic drinks, but this is reprehensible and not permissible. The same rule applies to renting out land or building for a cinema house or a n interest-based bank that if it was known a t the time of finalizing the deal or contract that the purpose of living for rent is not permissible, t h e n r e n t i n g would be M a k r u h Tahrimi (reprehensible bordering on being unlawful).

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An example of the third case would be selling of grapes to the common public. While it is possible that anyone of them might make wine out of the grapes, but neither has anyone said that he will do so, nor is it in the seller's knowledge that anyone makes wine, such sale and purchase has been considered permissible under the rules. Important Caution I t is important to note that all those acts and deeds which have been declared unlawful by t h e rules because they a r e immediate causes or means of involving one in sin, all of them are absolutely unlawful now after the injunction, irrespective of whether these acts involved one in sin or not; their being unlawful is itself a permanent rule of the religion and its violation is impermissible. I t is easier to understand, after this introductory explanation t h a t hijab for women is also based upon this principle of barring the ways and means of a sin t h a t leads to getting involved in sin. Here also the rules for t h e t h r e e categories of causes aforementioned would apply. For example, a young woman's uncovering her body in front of a young man is such a n immediate cause of commission of sin t h a t a s p e r general n a t u r e of m e n a n d women, t h i s act would almost c e r t a i n l y lead to commission of sin. Therefore the rules declare it to be forbidden just as fornication is forbidden. Now t h a t this act has been ruled to be the same as fornication, it is absolutely prohibited, even if the person involved is innocent or h e is positive t h a t h e would not commit t h e f u r t h e r sin because he has control over himself. The exemption of the circumstances of necessity, medical treatment, etc. do not effect its being forbidden. Even the change of times and ages do not affect it because the rule is just as applicable today in these times of evil and adultery a s it was i n the first period of Islam. The second category of the causes would be that women step out of the four walls of their houses wearing burqa' (dress which covers from head to feet) or a longish shawl to cover their bodies completely from head to feet. This is a distant cause of fitnah (mischief). The rule i n this case is that if doing so would cause fitnah, then it is not permissible but if there is no apprehension of fitnah i n doing so, then it is permissible. Therefore this rule is subject to change depending upon circumstances a n d times. Such outings of women were not cause of mischief during the period of

Siirah a l - A h z : 33 : 53 - 55
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the Holy Prophet $. That is why he had given permission to women to go to mosques after having covered themselves completely from head to feet, subject to certain conditions and he had forbidden people from preventing women from going to mosques. Even a t that time, although women were being persuaded to offer their prayers in their own homes, because, for them, the reward of offering prayers in their homes is greater than the reward of offering their prayers in mosques, but they were not disallowed from saying their prayers in mosques because there was no apprehension The noble companions &, after the expiry of the Holy Prophet of fitnah. realized that going of women to mosques, even if they are covered from head to feet, was no longer free from apprehension of fitnah, so they evolved a consensus among themselves and stopped women from joining stated that if the congregation in mosques. Sayyidah 'A'ishah lg-E +&I the Holy Prophet & could see t h e circumstances prevailing today, h e would, most certainly, have stopped women from going to mosques. This tells us that the decision of the noble companions was no different from that of the Holy Prophet $, rather the rule itself changed according to the change in conditions a s laid down by the Holy Prophet

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The rules regarding HijZb for women have been s t a t e d i n seven verses of the Holy Qur'Zn - three in Siirah An-NGr earlier, four in Siirah Al-Ahzab out of which one is mentioned earlier, t h e second is under review and the other two would come later, wherein the determination of the category of Hijab, details of the rules and the exemptions have been stated i n detail. Similarly, in more t h a n seventy ahadith of t h e Holy Prophet %, the verbal and practical orders of HijZb have been stated. All these injunctions, rules and regulations have been collected by the author in a booklet titled IITafsilul KhitZb fi TafsTrI 'Ayat- il-hijab" i n Arabic language, already published as a part of SGrah Al-Ahzab in "Ahkam- ul Qur'an", some important extracts of which are being reproduced below.

The Advent of HijZb in Historical Perspective
Free mixing among men a n d women h a s never been considered appropriate in the entire history of the world from SayyidnZ 'Adam to t h e last prophet, SayyidnZ Muhammad al-Mustafa a n d i t is no peculiarity of the people following religious codes; in fact, such mixing has not been held a s proper in good families universally.

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At the time when SayyidnZ Miisa was traveling through Madyan, two women are mentioned in the Holy Qur'Zn who were standing aside, holding their flock of goats while waiting for their t u r n to take these to the water trough. The reason given for this is no other but t h a t these women did not like to push and shove into the crowd of men, instead, preferred to remain content with whatever water was left. The first verse of Hijab was revealed a t the time of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab bint l Even Jahsh c9c.d dJ. before its revelation, a narration appearing in the Jami' of Tirmidhi describes the position in which she was sitting in the house: & dJ &j gs $j (and she was [sitting] with her face turned - l! towards the wall). This tells u s that, even before the revelation relating to Hijab, the custom of free mixing among men and women, no-holds-barred dates, rendezvous, get-togethers a n d chats did not exist among good people anywhere. T h e F i r s t Age of Ignorance marked by personal display (tabarruj) by its women referred to in the Qur'Zn was something peculiar to bondwomen a n d women of loose character - certainly, not i n good families of Arabia. They s a w i t a s low a n d reprehensible. T h e whole history of Arabia bears testimony to this. In India, among the adherents of Hindu, Buddhist a n d other polytheistic faiths, free mixing between men and women was not tolerated. All those claims of working with men shoulder to shoulder, parading in bazaars and streets, free mixing of men and women in almost every department of life and the chain of intimate contacts in parties and clubs are the product of immodesty a n d obscenity among Europeans - a disease they too have been afflicted with after having veered away from their past. In those earlier days of theirs, they too were no victims of this situation they are in. Allah Ta'ZlZ has created women physically different from men. Similarly, He has also placed in their temperaments t h e essential ingredient of n a t u r a l modesty which automatically inclines them to maintain a certain aloofness from t h e general r u n of m e n a n d to r e m a i n properly covered. T h i s screen of n a t u r a l a n d t e m p e r a m e n t a l modesty h a s always been p r e s e n t t h e r e between women and men since the very beginning. I n the early period of Islam too, the mutually imposed absence of free mixing - a forerunner of the HijZb - was of this very nature. This particular kind of the HijZb of women - that the real place for

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women be within the walls of the home and when they have to go out to take care of a need valid in the sight of the Sharyah, then, they go out after having covered their whole body - was instituted after the hijrah to Madinah in the Hijrah year 5. Relevant details follow. By a consensus of t h e scholars of Muslim Ummah, t h e first verse about this kind of HijZb is the one mentioned above: $1 l&-kY (db not enter the houses of the Prophet - 53) and this verse was revealed a t the time of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh & d l and her entry into the home of the prophet as his blessed wife. As for the date of this marriage, Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Isabah a n d Ibn 'Abd-ul-Barr i n Isti'ab have reported two sayings that it took place in the Hijrah year 3, or in the Hijrah year 5. Ibn Kathir has preferred Hijrah year 5. Ibn Sa'd has reported Hijrah year 5 also from SayyidnZ Anas &,This very view seems to be the preferred one from some narrations of Sayyidah 'Eishah y h~ a s well. And Allah knows best. pJ

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In the cited verse, women were ordered to observe Hijiib and men were ordered to ask from them, if they have to ask for something, from behind the HijEb. Here, particular emphasis h a s been placed on t h e observation of Hijab in the sense that non-mahram men and women have to remain apart, however, should there be the need to talk to women, men could do so from behind a HijZb, curtain or something that obstructs the view. Revealed in the noble Qur'Zn there are seven verses about the HijZb of women and its details. Out of these, four have gone by right here in SGrah Al-AhzEb while three of them have already appeared in Siirah An-NTir (Ma'ariful-Qur'Tin, Volume VI). I t is universally agreed upon that the , ,.>, ,'' ,, , first verse to have been revealed about HijEb is this very verse: 02 l+-l;Y , , $ iiji: Y! ,, (Do not enter the houses of the prophet, unless you are permitted for a meal - 53). The three verses of Stirah An-NGr and the initial verse of Stirah Al-Ahziib where t h e blessed wives have been commanded to stay in their homes though appear earlier in the order of the Qur'En, yet in terms of their revelation, they come later. I t has been explicitly said i n t h e initial verse of SErah Al-AhzZb t h a t t h e said command has been given a t a time when the blessed wives were divinely given the right to choose one of the following two courses. If they wanted to have extended worldly means, they should take a divorce from the
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Holy Prophet and if they preferred the benefits of the Hereafter and were willing to r e m a i n satisfied with whatever worldly m e a n s were available to t h e m i n their present s t a t e of life, t h e n , t h e y could s t a y married to him. I t has also been mentioned in this event of choice that, among the l was wives given this choice, Sayyidah Zainab bint J a h s h L++s d dJ also included. This tells us that her marriage was already solemnized before the revelation of this verse. The said verse came after t h a t . Similarly, there are the verses of Siirah An-NLr that carry details relating to Hijab. These are, though earlier in the order of the Qur'iin, but in terms of their sequence of revelation, they too have been revealed with the incident of Ifk which came to pass on return from the battle of Bani al-Mustaliq or Muraisi'. This battle took place in the Hijrah year 6 - and the injunctions governing the Islamic legal HijZb came to be enforced from the time when the verse of HijZb was revealed in relevance to the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab L++s LI&J. The verses of Siirah An-NGr relating to HijZb have already appeared in Siirah An-NGr (Ma'ariful-Qursn, Volume VI).

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The difference between the injunctions of Satr-ul-'Awrah and Veiling of Women (Hijab)
The p a r t of t h e body, of a m a n or woman, called ' a w r a h O J i n ~ Arabic, satr (9) i n Urdu a n d Persian is something t h e concealing of which is obligatory for everyone - legally, naturally and rationally - and is, after the initial article of Faith ('ImZn), the foremost obligation which must be carried out nec&ssarily by concealing t h e private p a r t s of t h e body. This duty has remained a n obligation since the very beginning and has been a standing obligation in all religious codes brought by the noble +. I n fact, even before t h e advent of religious codes prophets CM-Jl when, because of t h e t a s t i n g of t h e forbidden f r u i t i n J a n n a h , t h e Paradisical apparel of SayyidnZ 'Adam and Sayyidah Hawwa' came off leaving t h e cover-worthy p a r t s of t h e body uncovered, even i n t h a t did not take situation which was beyond his control, SayyidnZ 'xdam it as permissible. Therefore, both of them, SayyidnE 'Adam a n d Sayyidah Hawwa', covered their private parts by placing a string of leaves over them. Thus, their 'awrah came to be concealed. This is what is meant by (and they began to the verse of the Qur'iin: $Ah 3;; & &$ a w patch together upon themselves some leaves of Paradise - 7:22). From the
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coming of SayyidnZ 'xdam into this world right up to the last of the prophets, SayyidnZ Muhammad al-Mustafa B, t h e concealment of 'awrah has remained obligatory in the religious code of every prophet. There could be a difference in the precise determination and limitation of body parts to be concealed, but the essential obligation of satr is decisively established in all religious codes of the prophets. Then, this obligation applies to all human beings, men and women, in its own right - whether nor not there be someone else to see. For this reason, should there be a person who offers his Salah in naked state in the darkness of night -then, despite the fact that nobody is seeing him,his Salah will not be acceptable, if he does have with him something to wear that is sufficient to cover the private parts of his body (Satr) - (Al-Bahr- ur-Ra'iq). There is no difference of opinion in the fact that it is obligatory to cover those parts of the body which are included in 'awrah' before people, even when one is not performing Salah. But, in a state of privacy where no one is around to look, even there, it is not permissible, according to the correct view, to sit naked with one's coverable parts ('awrah) exposed without a need recognized by the Shari'ah, (Al-Bahr from S h a r h al-Munyah). T h i s m u c h w a s a b o u t t h e i n j u n c t i o n of s a t r - u l - ' a w r a h ( t h e concealment of the coverable parts of the body) which has been obligatory from the advent of Islam, rather, from the very beginning, in all religious codes of the noble prophets, and in which, men and women are equal, equal in private and in public, just as it is not permissible to be naked before people, it is also not permissible to stay unnecessarily naked when alone or in private.

The second issue - the HijZb of women Hijab essentially requires t h a t women do not appear before male strangers without proper cover. About this issue, a t least this much has always remained established among prophets a n d t h e righteous a n d noble persons that there should be no free mixing between male strangers and women. In the incident about the two daughters of Sayyidna Shu'aib w 1 , it is mentioned in the Qur'Zn (Siirah Al-Qasaq, 28:23, Part 20) that when the girls went to water their goats on the public well in the locality, they found it crowded with people who were watering their own flocks. I t appears in the Qur'an that these girls were standing aside, aloof from them. Sayyidna MiisZ % & I who was passing by as a traveler, saw the ,

girls standing so aloof from others. When he asked them about the reason for it, they told him two things:
1. 'Right now, there is a crowd of men out there. We shall water our goats when these people will have finished watering gone'.

2. 'Our father is old and weak' which indicates that coming out to water domestic a n i m a l s was not t h e job of women i n t e r m s of t h e commonly recognized practice. But, it was because of t h e old age and weakness of t h e father, or because of t h e absence of a n y other man around, they had to do this job. This state of the daughters of Sayyidna Shu'aib (ir\\pointed out in the noble Qur'an tells us that, even during that time and in their religious code too, free mixing of men a n d women a n d their working together shoulder to shoulder was not liked. In fact, any job which caused free contact with men was just not entrusted with women. However, keeping this whole thing in view, it appears that the injunction requiring women to observe regular Hijab was yet to be enforced formally. Similarly, during the early period of Islam, the same situation kept prevailing. I t was i n t h e Hijrah year 3 or 5 t h a t women were obligated with t h e observance of Hijab before male strangers, the details of which appear later. Now we know that the satr of 'awrahand the HijEb of women are two s e p a r a t e i s s u e s a n d d i f f e r e n t from e a c h o t h e r . S a t r - u l - ' a w r a h (concealment of coverable parts) has always been obligatory. The Hijab of women was made obligatory in the Hijrah year 5. Satr-ul-'awrah is obligatory on men and women both while HijEb is obligatory on women only. Satr-ul-'awrah is obligatory both in public a n d i n private while Hijab is obligatory only in the presence of male strangers. These details have been provided for the reason that by the jumbling of both these issues so many doubts rise impeding the understanding of the rulings and injunctions of t h e Qur'an. For example, t h e face a n d t h e palms of a woman a r e excluded from S a t r - u l - ' a w r a h u n d e r t h e a u t h o r i t y of consensus (ijma?.Therefore, should the face and palms remain uncovered in the state of SalZh, the SalZh is permissible, as agreed upon and as borne by consensus. As for face a n d palms, t h e s e a r e e x e m p t i n accordance w i t h definitive t e x t u a l authority. T h e feet h a v e been

exempted by Muslim jurists on the analogy of face and palms. B u t , w h e t h e r o r n o t t h e face a n d p a l m s a r e e x e m p t e d i n t h e observance of Hijab before male strangers is a matter in which difference exists, details of which have appeared earlier under the commentary on ; ; Y(and must not expose & the verse of Siirah An-NEr: L& 3 i $1 their adornment except that which appears thereof - 24:31), a summary of which will follow later.

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The degrees of Islamic legal Hijab and the injunctions relating to them
The s u m of seven verses of t h e Qur'Zn a n d seventy narrations of Hadith about t h e Hijab of women seems to be t h a t t h e r e a l objective desirable i n t h e sight of t h e Shari'ah is Hijab-ul-ashkhas i.e. physical hiding of women from s t r a n g e r s . I n other words, women a n d t h e i r movement should remain hidden from the sight of men, something that can be accomplished by means of t h e four walls of homes or t e n t s or hanging curtains. All forms of Hijab allowed other t h a n t h i s a r e all restricted by or conditional with the ground of need, time of need and measure of need. Thus, the first degree of Hijab - which is the really desired objective of the Shari'ah - is that women stay in their homes. But, the Shari'ah of Islam i s a comprehensive a n d complete social system i n which full consideration h a s been given to all h u m a n needs. T h e n , i t i s all too obvious that women will face inevitable circumstances when they have to go out of the house a t some or the other time. For this purpose, the second degree of Hijab, in the light of the Qur'Zn, and Sunnah, seems to be that they should go out wearing a burqa'or long shawl concealing their whole body. To see.their way, they leave only one eye open from inside t h e sheet, or use a patch of net before the eyes as is placed in a burqa'for this purpase. On occasions of need, this second degree of Hijab too - like the first one - is agreed upon among all Muslim scholars and jurists. From some narrations of Hadith, there seems to emerge a third degree of Hijab as well - in which the views of SahZbah, the Tabi'in and the jurists of Muslim community differ - according to which women, when they go out from the house, of necessity, they can let their face and palm remain open before people subject to the condition that their entire body is

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concealed. A detailed description of these three degrees of Islamic legal HijZb follows.

The first degree of Hijbb from people by virtue of staying home
According to the Qur'Zn and Sunnah, this degree is the one really desired. It stands clearly proved by the verse of Surah Al-AhzZb under s ,, , , " study right now: ti;; /$L< L /+GI G i!j a n d when you ask any thing from them (the blessed wives of the Prophet), ask them from behind a curtain - 53:' Still more explicit is the very initial verse of SGrah Al-Ahzab, that is: $% 3 L$j (And remain in your homes.) The manner in which the Holy Prophet % put the guidance given i n these verses into practice hardly leaves room for any further explanation.

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We have already come to know that the first verse about the Hijab of women was revealed a t the time of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab dJ & hl.As in the narrations of Hadith, SayyidnZ Anas & said, "I know this event of HijZb more than anyone else for the reason that, a t that time, I was present in the company of the Holy Prophet %. When this verse requiring the observance of HijZb was revealed, he put a sort of make-shift curtain from a sheet and had thus made Sayyidah Zainab dJ 21 seated hidden behind it - not that he would conceal her personally in a burqa'or long sheet.

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The event relating to SayyidnZ 'Umar I b n Khattab & appearing under t h e Background of Revelation described earlier also s e e m s to indicate that Sayyidnii 'Umar & simply wished that the blessed wives stay inside, away from the sight of men - as is evident from the words he used on this occasion: >dljyl & &-$ (among those coming to you there L are [all sorts of people] the righteous and the sinning).
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According to a narration of Sayyidah 'A'ishah +dl & appearing in , the chapter of the battle of Mutah in the SZhih of al-BukhZri, when the Holy Prophet was informed of the Shahadah (martyrdom) of SayyidnZ Zayd Ibn Harithah, Ja'far and 'AbdullZh Ibn Rawahah &,h e was in the Masjid. His blessed face showed signs of intense grief and shock. I was watching w h a t was happening t h e r e from inside my room through a crack in the door. This proves that, the Ummul-Mu'minin, even a t the time of such a shocking occurrence, did not come out in a burqa' to join the crowd of

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people, instead, witnessed the proceedings from a crack in the door. And in the chapter on 'Umratu '1-Qada' i n Kit&- ul-Maghazi of the Sahih of al-Bukhari, it appears that the nephew of Sayyidah ' x i s h a h H, l . &I, SayyidnZ 'Urwah Ibn Zubayr &, and Sayyidnii 'AbdullZh Ibn +s 'Umar & were sitting in the Mosque of the Prophet fairly close to the outer side of t h e living q u a r t e r s of Sayyidah 'A'ishah a n d were busy Sayyidnii Ibn talking about t h e 'Umra visits of the Holy Prophet ' U m a r & s a y s t h a t , d u r i n g t h a t time, we could h e a r t h e voice of Sayyidah 'A'ishah doing her miswak and clearing her throat coming out from inside the living quarters. Onward from here, mentioned there are From this narration too, we learn the 'Umra visits of the Holy Prophet that soon after the revelation of the verses of Hijab, it had become the regular practice of t h e blessed wives t h a t they would observe Hijab virtually by staying a t home.

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Similarly, there is a Hadith in the chapter on the battle of Ta'if in the gargled in a utensil SahTh of al-Bukhari saying that the Holy Prophet of water and gave it to Sayyidna Abu MEsZ and BilZl & to drink and wipe their faces with. Ummul-Mu'minin, Sayyidah Umm Salamah &I pJ lgcc was watching this incident from behind a curtain. She called the two blessed souls from inside the curtain asking them to spare a little from that tabarruk for their mother (meaning for herself). This Hadith too testifies that soon after the revelation of the order of HijZb, the blessed wives used to stay inside homes and behind curtains.

Special Note Also noteworthy i n this narration is the fact t h a t even t h e blessed were fond of his tabarrukat (plural of wives of t h e Holy Rrophet tabarruk meaning something blessed) just like other Muslims. This too is a singularity of his sanctified person alone, otherwise, t h e informal relationship a husband has with his wife would have made it habitually impossible to maintain this degree of reverence.
And according to a narration of SayyidnE Anas & in Kitiib-ul-'Adab of the SahTh of al-Bukhari, he and SayyidnZ AbG Talhah were once going somewhere with t h e Holy Prophet He was riding a camel. Ummul-Mu'minin, Sayyidah Safiyyah 4i.h d J also riding with was him. En route, the camel stumbled all of a sudden and, according to the

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report of Sayyidnii AbG Talhah, when he and Sayyidah Safiyyah fell down from the back of the camel, AbG Talhah presented himself before him and submitted, 'May Allah accept me a s ransom for you, a r e you hurt?' He said, 'No, you take care of the woman.' The first thing Sayyidnii Abii Talhah did was to hide his face with a piece of cloth, then he reached Sayyidah Safiyyah and threw a sheet of cloth over her after which she stood up. Then, in the same manner, keeping her hidden behind proper cover, he had her mount her camel. In this event too which came suddenly in the form of a n accident, there is a lesson. I t provides testimony to the fact that the noble Sahabah and the blessed wives gave great importance to the matter of HijZb. The attention paid and the care and concern shown in this incident hardly leave any room for further explanations. A Hadith of SayyidnE 'Abdulla Ibn Mas'ud reports that the Holy Prophet @ said:

& in Jam? of Tirmidhi

When a woman comes out (of her house), the Shaytan marks her out (that is, makes her a means of spreading evil among Muslims) - (Tirmidhi has termed this Hadith as hasan, gahih,
gharTb').

Present in this Hadith too is the evidence of the fact that the real thing for women is no other but that they stay in their homes and do' not go out (occasions of need remaining a n exception). And in a ~ a d i t hthe Holy Prophet % has said: cjgi + 5L1! ; 2 + (For women, t h e r e i s no s h a r e i n going o u t except w h e n inevitable) - reported by Tabar~ni, quoted by Kanz, p. 283, v. 8) as
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&:'Once I was present in And says a narration from Sayyidnii the company of the Holy Prophet %. He asked the noble Sahabah, ',,' ,.,' ,+" What is better for women? The Sahabah kept silent. They said nothing i n response. Later, when I went home, I repeated t h e same

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question before Fatimah h~J . She said, &J$ Y j JGJI d [that is, it is better for women that] 'neither they see men, nor a r e seen by them.' When I reported the answer given by her to the Holy Prophet $&, he said, (She said it right. Of course, she is a part of me). &*.&$1
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The reason why Sayyidah 'A'ishah & dl d J was left behind in the wilderness during the event of Ifk was no other but that the HijZb of the blessed wives was not simply restricted to the burqa' or long sheet, in fact, even while traveling, they used to be in their camel-litter (shughduf or hawdaj). This shughduf itself was mounted on t h e camel a n d w a s dismounted a s such. A shughduf is like a miniature roomette for the traveler. During t h e course of this event, when t h e caravan s t a r t e d leaving, t h e a t t e n d a n t s following their u s u a l practice mounted t h e shughduf on the back of the camel assuming that the Ummul-Mu'minin was already in there. But, the truth of the matter was that she was not there in it, rather, had gone out of it for physical relief. I t was in this misunderstanding that the caravan departed and the Ummul-Mu'minin was left behind in the wilderness. This event too is a strong evidence of the fact that the sense of Islamic legal HijZb as understood by the Holy Prophet @ and his blessed wives was b u t t h a t women s t a y i n their homes a n d , if traveling, i n t h e i r shughduf (camel-litter), their presence was not to be exposed before men. Then, this was the care and concern shown regarding the observance of HijZb from men in the state of travel. From this, one can imagine the level of importance of HijZb when a woman is in her normal residence.

The second degree of HijZb with burqac
On occasions of need, when a woman has to go out of her house, she is required to be covered up from the head to the feet in some burqa' or long sheet in a manner that no part of the body is left exposed. This has its proof in the verse (59) of SCrah Al-&zZb that is coming up a little later: > > & * &j &ljjy $ &I $ (0 prophet, tell your q $% 5 , , , 2 2 &jbjl wives a n d your daughters a n d t h e women of t h e believers t h a t they should draw down their shawls over them - 3359). The original word used by the Qur'Zn for 'shawls' is jilbab (plural: jalabib) which is a long sheet in which a woman gets to be hidden from the head to the feet. (This has been reported from SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas &)

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Ibn Jarir has, citing his own chains of authority, has reported from Sayyidna 'Abdullgh Ibn 'Abbas &%the manner in which a jilbab is used, that is, a woman should be wrapped therein, from the head to the feet, and that her face and nose too be hidden behind it - leaving only one eye uncovered to see the way. A detailed explanation of this verse will appear later. Here, the only purpose is to point out that, on occasion of need, when a woman has to go out of the house, then, she has to opt for this degree of Hijab, that is, she be covered up with a jilbab or something similar from t h e h e a d to t h e feet, a n d t h a t h e r face too - w i t h t h e exception of one eye - be hidden. This form too is permissible on occasions of need in accordance with the consensus of t h e jurists of t h e Muslim community. But, t h e r e a r e SahIh (sound) ahadith where some restrictions have been placed even on the choice of this form, for example, she should not be wearing perfume, or ringing ornaments, and that she should walk on the side of the street and that she should not enter a crowd of men.

The third degree of Islamic legal JJijZb about which jurists differ
The t,hird degree of Hijab is t h a t t h e whole body of t h e woman is hidden from the head to the feet, but the face and palms remain open. The question whether this degree of HijZb (where face a n d palms a r e exposed) is permissible has been a matter of difference of opinion between Muslim jurists which has emerged from different interpretations of the words >G>! (except t h a t which is open) occurring i n Slirah A n - K r (24:31) Some commentators have interpreted these words to mean the face and palms, and therefore they have exempted them from Hijab, and have held that it is permissible to leave them open. (as reported from Sayyidnii Ibn 'AbbZs). But there are others among them who take the expression to mean burqa', jilbab etc. These commentators hold i t impermissible to expose face and palms. (as reported by Sayyidna Ibn Mas'Gd). But, even according to those who have called i t permissible,the permissibility is subject to the condition t h a t there should be no apprehension of fitnah (situation resulting in some evil consequence). Since the face of a woman is at the center of her beauty and embellishment, therefore, the absence of any apprehension of fitnah is a r a r e likelihood. Ultimately, for this reason, under normal conditions, opening the face etc. is not permissible even according to the first group of commentators.

Three Imams - f i l i k , Shafi'i and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal - out of the four took to the strict position and held it absolutely impermissible to expose face and palms, whether or not there is an apprehension of fitnah. As for Imam AbE Hanifah, he has, though, taken a different view, yet h e has subjected it to the condition that there is no apprehension of fitnah, and since this condition remains customarily missing, therefore, Hanafi jurists too h a v e not p e r m i t t e d t h e opening of t h e face a n d p a l m s before The citations regarding the views of the four Imams have been given in detail with reference to authentic books of these schools in this humble writer's treatise entitled Tafsil-ul-Khitab,published a s part of the major work on Ahkam-ul-QurZn. Since the original ruling of the Yanafijurists opts for the exemption of the face and palms from HijZb, therefore, a few citations of t h e H a n a f i jurists a r e being given h e r e i n which it i s mentioned t h a t , due to t h e apprehension of fitnah, exposing face a n d palms is forbidden :

"Let it be understood that there is no incumbency between the non-cover-worthiness of a certain part of the body and the permissibility of looking at it, because the permissibility of looking at it depends on there being no apprehension of sexual desire - although, that part of the body is not included under 'awrah (that which is coverable). For this reason, casting a look at the face of a female stranger (non-Mahram woman) or at the face of a beardless boy is forbidden when there is no doubt about the emergence of any sexual desire, although, the face is not included under 'awrah(that which has to be hidden)." (Fath-ulQadir, page 181, volume 1) From this observation of Fath-ul-QadTr, we also come to know t h e exact meaning of the 'apprehension of sexual desire' i.e. for all practical purposes, though t h e r e may not exist any actual desire, b u t one may have a reasonable apprehension that such a desire will develop by looking a t the face, it will be included in the fitnah. When such a doubt does exist, then, it is forbidden to look not only a t the face of female strangers,

rather, even a t t h e face of beardless boys. I n addition to t h a t , another e x p l a n a t i o n of t h e ' a p p r e h e n s i o n of s e x u a l desire' a p p e a r s in J a m i ' ar-Rumuz where it is said: 'It means t h a t one's inner self is inclined to be close to her.' I t is obvious t h a t t h e absence of such a degree of inclination was r a r e even during t h e time of the early forbears of Islam (salaf).T h a t t h e Holy P r o p h e t w h e n h e s a w S a y y i d n a Fad1 & looking a t a woman, h a d turned his face to t h e other side with his own blessed hands is mentioned i n HadTth a n d is a clear proof of it. So, i n this a g e infested w i t h a l l s o r t s of c o r r u p t i o n , w h o c a n c l a i m t o b e i m m u n e t o t h i s apprehension?

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And I m a m Sarakhsi, t h e famous Hanafi scholar, h a s concluded his detailed discussion on t h e issue by saying:

And all this (the permissibility of looking a t the face and palms) is restricted to a situation where one does not look .at a woman with sexual desire. And if the person doing it knows that his looking a t t h e face of a woman may m o t i v a t e s e x u a l inclinations, then, i t is not lawful for him to cast a look towards any part of her body. (MabsGt, page 152, volume 10) And in KitZb-ul-KarZhiyah of Radd-ul-MuhtZr, 'AUamZh ShZmi h a s said:

"If there exists a n apprehension or doubt of sexual desire, looking a t her will stand forbidden, because the lawfulness of looking is tied up with the absence of sexual desire, and when this condition is missing, it will be haram (forbidden) - and this is how it was during the time of the early forbears of Islam (salaf). But, as for our time, looking a t women stands prohibited in an absolute sense - unless looking is needed for a valid reason recognized by the Shari'ah, such as, in the case of a judge or witness who have to give a verdict or evidence." And i n Shurut-us-SalZh, the author has further observed, "A young

woman is prohibited from leaving her face open before (non-Mahram) men not because the face is included in the 'awrah, but because of the apprehension of fitnah." The gist of t h i s debate a n d difference among jurists is t h a t ImEm Shafi'i, I m a m Malik a n d ImEm Ahmad I b n Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on t h e m , have held t h e act of glancing a t young women a s prohibited absolutely, because i t is usually a cause of fitnah, even though in a particular case it does not cause fitnah in actual terms. This approach has many precedents in Sharyah. For instance, since traveling is usually a cause of difficulties, therefore, traveling itself h a s been held a s a 'difficulty' for allowing concessions meant for difficult situations; thus a perqon m a y enjoy a l l concessions i n SalZh a n d f a s t i n g etc. w h e n traveling, even if he does not face.any difficulty during his journey and finds i t more comfortable t h a n h i s home. S i m i l a r l y , s i n c e one i s unconscious while asleep and wind would pass usually, therefore, sleep itself has been taken by the Sharpah as passing of wind, and it is held that every sleep invalidates wudu' , whether or not wind has passed in reality. But, Imam AbG Hanifah did not hold the exposure of a woman's face and palms a s fitnah in itself. Instead of that, he subjected the prohibition to the existence of fitnah in actual terms. In other words, this would be a situation i n which there exists the apprehension or t h e probability of being attracted towards t h e woman seeking nearness to her. If so, i t would stand prohibited; where this probability does not exist, it will be permissible. But, a s we already know, the absence of such probability in this time of ours is absolutely rare. Therefore, the Hanafi jurists of later days, too, ultimately gave t h e same ruling given by t h e other t h r e e Imams, that is, it is prohibited to look even a t the face and palms of a young woman. Now the outcome of this presentation is that, by a consensus of the four Imams, this third degree of Islamic legal Hijab, which stipulated that a woman appears before men after having covered her whole body in a burqa' or s h e e t etc., b u t leaving h e r face a n d palms exposed, s t a n d s prohibited. Therefore, what remains now of Hijab is no more t h a n its first two degrees. One of these is the real objective, that is, women remain inside their homes and do not go out without need. The other is going out

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covered with burqa' or sheet on the basis of need, only a t a time of need and to the extent of need.
Ruling I n t h e i n j u n c t i o n s of Hijab mentioned above, t h e r e a r e some exceptions . For example, some males identified a s Mahrams a r e exempted from Hijab a n d very old women too a r e somewhat exempted from t h e purview of the common injunction of Hijab. Some of its related detail has appeared in the commentary on Siirah An-NEr. (Ma'ariful-Qurzn, volume vi) Some of it will appear later in the verses of Siirah Al-Ahziib where this exemption finds mention.

In view of the importance of the issue of Hijab, we have reproduced a few e s s e n t i a l p o i n t s from o u r t r e a t i s e e n t i t l e d Tafsil-ul-Khitab fi Ahkam-il-Hijab, something sufficient for common r e a d e r s . Should someone be interested in a n exhaustive treatment af the subject, it could be seen in the treatise under reference. This treatise has been published in Ahkam-ul-Qur'an under the section dealing with the TafsTr of SGrah Al-AhzZb. (And Allah, the Pure, the High, knows best).
Verse 56

Surely, Allah and His angels send blessings t o the Prophet. 0 those who believe, do pray Allah to bless him, and send your SalZm (prayer for his being i n peace) to him in abundance. [56] Commentary In verses previous to this, some peculiarities and distinctions of the Holy Prophet $$ were mentioned as a n adjunct to which the command to observe Hijab was revealed while some injunctions of Hijab will also appear later on. I n between, the present verse contains a command to do something for which all these peculiarities a n d distinctions have been instituted in his blessed person, that is, the recognition and expression of t h e g r e a t n e s s of t h e s t a t i o n of t h e Holy P r o p h e t @ a s well a s a n invitation to imbibe into one's own self the virtues of reverence, love and

obedience for him. The real purpose of the verse was to obligate Muslims to send SalZh (durood) and SalZm upon the Holy Prophet @. But the command was given in a manner that, first of all, Allah Ta'ZlZ pointed out that He Himself and His angels perform the act of SalZh for the Holy Prophet After that, common Muslims were ordered to follow suit. By doing so, it is indicated that the station of the Holy Prophet $$$ is so high that the act asked to be done by common Muslims in his respect is something already done by Allah Ta'ZlZ Himself a s well a s angels with Him. Now t h e n , common believers who are indebted to so many favours done to them by a s their noble Prophet should certainly give high priority to making this act tneir essential concern. Then there is yet another good outcome of this modality of expression. I t proves the great merit accredited to Muslims who send SalZh and SalZm as Allah Ta'ZlZ makes them share in doing what Allah Ta'ZlZ Himself does and so do His angels.

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The Meaning of ValZh (durood) and SalZm The word: i& (SalZh) is used in the Arabic language to convey the sense of: Mercy (rahmah), prayer (du'G? and praise (madh and thana?. The SalZh attributed to Allah Ta'ZlZ in the cited verse means His sending of mercy, but SalZh from the angels denotes their prayer for him, and the sense of SalEih (durood) from common believers is a combination of d u E ' (prayer) and thana' (praise). Most commentators have given these very h meanings and Imam Al-Bukhari has reported from ~ b i i - l - ' & ~ a t h a t the SalZh of Allah Ta'ZlZ means the honor accorded to him and the praise showered on him before the angels. As for the honor bestowed on him by Allah Ta'ZlZ within this mortal world, it translates a s the high rank he was blessed with when, on many a n occasion, his mention was joined with the mention of Allah Ta'ZlZ in adhiin (the initial call for prayers) and iqamah (the call announcing t h e immediate s t a r t of t h e prayer) a n d elsewhere, and that Allah Ta'alZ made the religion brought by him spread and prevail throughout the world, and that He enjoined upon all people to keep acting in accordance with t h e Shari'ah brought by him right t h r o u g h t h e l a s t d a y of a l - Q i y a m a h a n d , a l o n g w i t h i t , H e h a s undertaken to keep his Shari'ah stand perennially protected. Then, a s for the honor bestowed upon him in the Hereafter, it can be said t h a t his station was made to be the most exalted of the entire creation and, a t a

time when no prophet or angel could dare intercede on behalf of anyone, it was right a t that time that he was blessed with the celebrated station of yck. mahmiid: Praised Station). intercession called: >y (~1-ma'qgm-ulGiven t h e interpretation t h a t Allah's Salah i n favour of t h e Holy Prophet @ means praise, someone may raise a doubt that, according to the narrations of Hadith, Saliih and SalZm are also offered to t h e family $ and companions of the Holy Prophet $! . If so, how can anyone other than him be made to share in the honor bestowed and praise done by Allah Ta'ZlZ? This doubt has been answered in RGh-ul-Ma'Zni etc. by saying that the degrees of such honor and praise are many. The Holy Prophet has it a t its highest,while his family and companions and believers in general are included with him only to a certain degree. As for the word: (Salam), it is an infinitive in the sense of C ' U I ( a s - s a l a m a h ) a n d m e a n s s t a y i n g i n peace. And &$eM-'\ (As-sala mu-'alaik: conveniently taken as 'peace on you') means: May the state of peace and security from losses, defects and calamities be with you. And since, according to the rule of Arabic grammar, this is not the occasion to use the word: 31;- ('ala: on, upon), but since t h e word 'Salam'implies praise, hence the word: J2 ('a13 is appended with it.
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And some other early commentators have taken the word: SalZm here to mean the sacred Being of Allah Ta'ZlZ, because SalZm is among the beautiful names of Allah Ta'ZlZ. According to this view the sentence will mean that Allah is enough to take care of your security and well-being.

The method of SalZh and SalZm There appears a Hadith in the Sahih of BukhZri and Muslim, a s well as in other books of Hadith, where SayyidnZ Ka'b Ibn 'Ujrah & has been reported to have said: '(When this verse was revealed), someone asked the "(The verse orders us to do two things, SalZh and salam.) Holy Prophet We already know the method of saying salam, (being L$ &$ [jllii t h a t is, may peace a n d safety be on you. 0 Prophet) now tell u s the method of SalZh also." He said: Say these words:

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"0 Allah, send mercy on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad, as You sent mercy on 1brZh;m and on the progeny of IbrZhim. Verily, You are Praised, Glorious. 0 Allah, send blessings on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad as You sent blessings on IbrZhIm and on the progeny of IbrZhTm. Verily, You are Praised, Glorious."
Some other words i n this respect have also been reported i n other narrations of ljadith. As for t h e r e a s o n why t h e noble SahEbah a s k e d t h i s question, perhaps it is that they had already been taught the method of offering J :~ their SalZm in the & : (tashahhud or saying of L GAt-tahiyyzt) w h e r e i t i s s a i d : '<t?;j &I -; ; l &$ $ (as-salamu 'alaika aiyuhannabiyyu w a rahmatullahi wa barakatuh: Peace a n d safety on yo11, 0 Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings). Therefore, they did not like to determine, on their own, the precise words in the case of the saying of SalZh. Instead of that, they wanted the exact words of saying the SalZh to be determined by the Holy Prophet % himself. I t is for this reason that b + (SalZh) has generally been adopted in these very words as part of the'prescribed prayers, NamZz or SalZh. But, i t does not mean that the obligation of sending Saliih (durud) is restricted to these specific words, because many different forms of SalZh (durud), have been a u t h e n t i c a l l y r e p o r t e d from t h e Holy P r o p h e t himself. The requirement of sending SalEh and SalZm can be fulfilled by every such sentence that has the words of SalZh and SalEm in it. Then, it is also not necessary that those words should have been reported exactly as said by In fact, the obligation may be discharged and the the Holy Prophet reward of sending SalZh may be achieved by any style of address that conveys the words of SalEh and SalZm. But, it is obvious that the exact words reported from the Holy Prophet are certainly much more blessed and are the cause of bringing many more rewards. I t was for this very reason that the noble SahZbah had asked the Holy Prophet himself to determine the words of i'+ (SalZh).

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I n the Qa'dah (sitting position) of the prescribed prayer (SalZh or Namaz), t h e saying of t h e words of SalZh a n d SalZm exa'ctly i n t h e manner reported above is masniin (per Sunnah) right up to the last day

of Qiyamah, (even though these words are meant to address the Holy Prophet & by saying ' SalZm on you, 0 prophet') As for occasions outside the prescribed prayers (SalZh or NamZz), these exact words should have been employed when t h e Holy Prophet $& was addressed during his lifetime. When, after his departure from this mortal world, one has the good fortune of standing before the sacred Rawdah (the holy tomb) of the Holy Prophet and submitting his Salam to him, then, there too, it is masniin to employ t h e form of second person: =;%.JI u (as-salam 'alaik). Other than that, wherever SalZh and SalZm is recited in absentia, t h e n , t h e u s e of t h e t h i r d person form h a s been r e p o r t e d from t h e SahZbah, Tabi'in and the Imams of the Muslim Ummah - for example: . .. (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam i.e.May Allah send mercy a n d peace to him.- as fully demonstrated by books of Hadith a t large.

The wisdom behind the aforesaid method of SalZh and SalZm The outcome of the method of Salah and Saliim which stands proved from t h e blessed words spoken by him a n d demonstrated practically through his deeds is no other but that all of us in the Muslim Ummah should pray to Allah Ta'Zl5 for mercy, peace and safety for him. At this point, a question is worth noting. Is it not that the verse required us to personally fulfill the right of the Holy Prophet $$ that h e be revered and honored, but the method proposed was that we pray to Allah? Embedded here is the hint that fulfilling the due right of honoring and obeying the Holy Prophet was not within t h e power a n d control of any of us, therefore, it was made mandatory for us that we should supplicate before Allah Ta'ZlZ. ( R 3 - u l - MaZni) The injunctions of SalZh and SalZm In the last Qa'dah (sitting position) of the prescribed prayers, (namEz or SalZh), t h e saying of ;u.+ (Saliih, t h a t is, t h e noble duriid) is Sunnah Mu'akkadah (emphasized Sunnah) according to the majority of the Imams. But, with Imam Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, it is wEjib (necessary). If abandoned, i t becomes necessary,according to them, to make namaz or SalZh all over again.
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Related Rulings 1. When someone mentions t h e name of t h e Holy Prophet or hears someone mentioning it, reciting the words of sending SalZh (the noble durEd) becomes wEjib (obligatory) on him or her. This is a point of

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Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 56

232

consensus among the majority of Muslim jurists. The reason is that there are warnings in Hadith against not reciting the noble durud when his blessed name is being referred. According to Jam? of Tirmidhi, the Holy & $ 2 k; : "Disgraced is the man ;1 Prophet & said: before whom I am mentioned, yet he does not send SalZh (Duriid) on me". (Tirmidhi calls this Hadith 'Hasan', and Ibn-us- S u n n i reports i t with strong authorities).

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;ilY'F And in another Hadith it has been said: 2 g "A i miser is he before whom I am mentioned yet h e does not send SalZh (Duriid) on me". (reported by Tirmidhi who rated i t a s 'Hasan Sahih').
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2. If h i s blessed mention is made repeatedly i n a single sitting, reciting the SalZh (Duriid) only once may discharge the obligation. But, the desirable (mustahabb) thing is to recite the noble Durud every time one makes his blessed mention himself, or hears someone else make it. Who c a n claim to mention t h e n a m e of t h e Holy P r o p h e t more frequently than the scholars of the Hadith? Their function is nothing but to n a r r a t e t h e ahZdith of t h e Holy Prophet @ in which they have to mention his name repeatedly. Still, their consistent practice was to recite or w r i t e t h e Saliih each a n d every time. All books of H a d i t h b e a r testimony to t h i s fact. I n doing so, they never bothered about t h i s incidence of repetition of SalZh and SalZm which would increase t h e volume of the book in a sizable measure, because fairly often, there come very short ahadith in which his blessed name finds mention after every one or two lines - and a t places, it appears more than once within one single line - still, these respected scholars and experts of HadTth never abandon or ignore SalZh and SalZm anywhere.

3. The way it is WaJib (necessary) to say SalZh and Saliim vocally a t the time one makes his blessed mention verbally, similarly, it is also wajib to write SalZh and SalZm with the pen when one uses i t a t the time of writing. I n this case, there are people who would abbreviate its words and get away by writing (of which, "SAW" is a counterpart). This is not & enough. One should write the full SalZh and S a E m (that is: Jr h~ +j : SallallZhu 'alaihi wa sallam).

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4. At the time his blessed mention is being made, the better, higher and more desirable choice is no other but that both SalTih and SalFim be

recited and written. But, should someone take one of these, t h a t is, only Salah or only SalZm, as sufficient, then, it is no sin in the sight of the majority of Muslim jurists. Shaykh-ul-Islam Nawawi a n d others have declared it as makriih (reprehensible) to take only one a s sufficient. Ibn Hajar Al-Haithami said that by Karahah (reprehensibility) they mean its being Khilaf-ul-awla (contrary to the 'preferred choice) which is known as Makriih T a n z i h i (not desirable). And t.he consistent practice of t h e 'ulama' of t h e Muslim Ummah bears testimony to t h e fact t h a t they invariably put these together while, on some occasions, they would go by only one a s well. 5. Using the word: O l p L P (Salah) for anyone other than prophets ,+ & CY-Jl is not permissible i n t h e sight of t h e majority of 'Ulama'. I n his Sunan, Imam Baihaqi has reported the fat~vE SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs & of as f o ~ ~ o w41; s: , , ;( $j ; &\ il ,i -; , , & ?i' &Y ;g J & ~ (SalZh is not sent upon any one except the Holy Prophet & but ~ prayer is made for Muslim men and Muslim women to seek forgiveness for them.)

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With Imam Shafi'i using the word: Plpl-;7 (Salah) for any one other than a prophet is perennially Makruh (reprehensible, repugnant). Imam AbC Hanifah a n d his pupils also hold t h e same view. However, i t is permissible t h a t after saying Salah for the Holy Prophet, some other people are also included in the same sentence, like his family members Companions and all believers.

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And Imam Juwaini said that the rule about the word: Olpl-;7 (SalZh) is the same as the rule about the word:(% (Salam), since it is not correct to use it for someone other than a prophet - except that one says $ & (as-saladu-'alaikum) a s a greeting while addressing someone. This is permissible, and Masnun. But, saying or writing: C % IJ QLE. ('alaihissalEm) with the name of someone absent is not correct in the case of someone other than a prophet (Al-khasa'is-ul-kubrii,by SuyEtT, v.2, p. 262) 'Allamah Liqa'l h a s quoted Qadi 'Iyad saying: Major a u t h e n t i c scholars of the Muslim Ummah have gone by this view, and this is the view of Imam Malik, SufyZn and many Muslim jurists who hold that its use is not permissible for anyone other than a prophet. This is similar to (Subhanahii ma TaZlE) which is t h e case of t h e use of > k j L G

particular to Almighty Allah. Thus, in the case of common Muslims - with the exception of prophets - there should be a prayer for forgiveness and ' ,, , , pleasure from Allah. This is as it appears in the Qur'Zn: 1hJJ c ~ . 2; i~g & (Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him - 5:119,
9:100, 28:22, 98:8). (R*-ul-

Surely, those who annoy Allah and His Messenger are cursed by Allah in this world and the Hereafter, and He has prepared for them a humiliating punishment. [57] And those who hurt believing men and believing women without their having done anything (wrong), they shall bear the burden of slander and a manifest sin. [58] Commentary

I n t h e previous verses, Muslims were warned against doing w h a t caused pain to t h e Holy Prophet @. But, some Muslims used to get involved into doing such things unintentionally simply because of their lack of knowledge or attention. For example, walking into his living quarters without having been invited or, in the event of a n invitation to eat a t the house, coming in and sitting there much earlier than the time set for it or, once the meals were over, just keep hanging a t the house talking to each other and keep delaying their due departure. Upon this, a ,, , ,',, , > , z ,J,warning has been served in the verse: SF I&--GY l p l k,F (0those who believe, do not enter the houses of the Prophet - 3353). This was the pain caused to t h e Holy Prophet without any volition or intention, simply by negligence. On this, only a warning was considered sufficient.

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Siirah al-AhzZb : 33 : 57 - 58

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Mentioned in the two verses cited above is the pain that was caused to him intentionally by the disbelievers and hypocrites. I t is for this reason that Maulana Ashraf 'AliThanZvi has parenthetically added the word: ;& ( q a ~ d a nintentionally) a t this place in his abridged summary which : includes many a physical pain caused to him a t the hands of disbelievers on different occasions as well as the emotional ones that were caused to him in the form of taunts and insults and false accusations against his blessed wives. The cited verses also gives a warning of Divine curse and punishment to those who cause such pains to him by intention. Although, in the beginning of the verse, warning is given to those who cause pain to Allah (Surely, those who cause pain to Allah. .. 33:57), while Allah Ta'ZlZ is beyond any effect or impression, and no one can cause pain to Him in real terms, yet the deeds that usually cause pain to others have been referred to as 'causing pain to Allah.' Leading authorities of Tafsir, however, differ in defining the acts that are termed here a s 'causing pain to Allah'. Some of them have maintained that these are the words and deeds about which it has been specifically declared in the spoken ahadith of the Holy Prophet $& t h a t they cause pain to Allah Ta'ZlZ. For example, it is mentioned i n a Hadith t h a t those who curse the 'time' cause pain to Allah.The background of this Hadith is that the people in the days of ignorance used to blame the 'time' for all sorts of accidents and sufferings, because they believed that the 'time' is the real cause of all happenings in this world. Therefore whenever they faced a suffering, they used to curse and hurl abuses to the 'time', while in fact the real doer of all acts is none but Allah Ta'ZlZ, and in this context their curse and abuses would turn to Him. It is therefore mentioned in the of Divine curse and punishment Hadith that this behavior causes pain to Allah Ta'ZlZ. Moreover, a s i t appears i n H a d i t h n a r r a t i o n s , making pictures of living creatures cause pain to Allah Ta'ZlE. the expression of 'causing pain to Allah' would be referring to these very words a n d deeds. And other authorities of Tafsir said that the real purpose a t this place . But, i t has been is to warn against causing pain to the Holy Prophet termed in the verse a s causing pain to Allah Ta'ZlZ, because causing pain to the Prophet @ is tantamount to causing pain to Allah Ta'ZlE Himself. This interpretation is supported by the context of the Qur'Zn, because it is $ the subject of causing pain to the Holy Prophet $' $that was mentioned in

the text earlier and the same subject is repeated again in the forthcoming words. And t h a t the pain caused to the Holy Prophet turns out to be pain for Allah Ta'ZlZ s t a n d s proved from t h e n a r r a t i o n of SayyidnZ 'Abdur-RahmZn Ibn Mughaffal al-Muzani & given below:

The Holy Prophet said: "Fear Allah, fear Allah in the matter of my Companions. Do not make them the target of your objections and criticisms because whoever loves them loves them because of his love for me, and whoever dislikes them dislikes them because of his disliking against me, and whoever caused pain to them has definitely caused pain to me and whoever caused pain to me has definitely caused pain to Allah, and whoever caused pain to Allah, it is likely that he will be seized by Him.- (Tirmidhi) J u s t a s this Hadith tells us that the pain inflicted on the Holy Prophet $ causes pain to Allah TaiZIZ,very similarly, it also tells us that inflicting $ ! pain on any of the noble Companions or being audacious enough as to speak ill of them becomes pain caused to the Holy Prophet $&. There are several narrations relating to the background in which this verse was revealed. According to some of these, it was revealed about the false accusation made against Sayyidah 'A'ishah lg-E d dJ. example, l For a narration from Sayyidnz Ibn 'AbbZs & says: When false accusation was made against Sayyidah 'A'ishah L.p d d J , some people gathered a t l the home of t h e hypocrite, 'AbdullZh Ibn 'Ubayy a n d indulged i n t h e conspiracy of giving currency to this false accusation. At t h a t time, the complained before his noble Companions saying that the Holy Prophet man was causing pain to him - (MazharT). According to some other narrations, this verse was revealed when some hypocrites h a d t h r o w n t a u n t s a t t h e t i m e of t h e m a r r i a g e of Alp,. However, the the fact of the matter is t h a t Sayyidah Safiyyah this verse h a s been revealed concerning each such case which caused pain to the Holy Prophet @. Thus, included here is the false accusation made against Sayyidah 'A'ishah lgcc d &J, t h e t a u n t s thrown by t h e l

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hypocrites on the occasion of the marriages of Sayyidah Safiyyah and a Zainab & dl dJ s well as calling other noble Companions bad, passing ill remarks against them or maligning them in any other way, public or private rl> (tabarra').

Causing pain to the Holy Prophet in any form or manner is kufr (infidelity) Ruling A person who inflicts any pain on the Holy Prophet @, suggests any fault i n his person or a t t r i b u t e s , whether expressly or i n a n implied manner, becomes a &fir - and according to this verse (57), the curse of Allah Ta'ZlZ will be upon him in this world as well a s in the Hereafter. (As stated by Qadi Thana'ullah in at-Tafsir al-~ahhari).
The second verse has declared that causing pain to any believer is also forbidden (haram) as being a grave sin a manifest slander, but in the case of common believers 'the prohibition of causing pain is subjected to a condition that they should not have deserved it by committing a wrongful act. This is because, i n t h e i r case i t is possible t h a t t h e y h a v e done something a s a consequence of which causing pain to them is permissible under the dictates of the SharTah, while in the case of the Allah and the Holy Prophet @ i t is simply impossible that causing pain to Allah and His Messenger may be justified on any ground. Therefore, no such condition is mentioned in verse 57.

Hurting or causing pain to any Muslim without a valid Islamic legal justification is forbidden (HarZrn) ,, ,,, ,,!, ,>,s, It stands proved from the cited verse (58): ~ 4 (And those 1 who hurt believing men and believing women without their having done anything (wrong), they shall bear the burden of slander and a manifest sin.) that it is forbidden (Haram) to cause any pain, harm or h u r t any Muslim without a justification recognized by Shari'ah. The Holy Prophet $& has said:

A (true) Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hands all Muslims
remain unharmed and safe. And a (true) mu'min (believer) is the one

from whom people remain unaffected and safe in the matter of their lives (lit., bloods) and their properties (being his or her duty to ensure that so these do) - reported by Tirmidhl from SayyidnZ Abu H u r a i r a h &.
(Mazhari)

Verses 59 - 62

0 prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the
women of the believers t h a t they should draw down their shawls over them. That will make it more likely that they are recognized, hence not teased. And Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [59] If the hypocrites and those having malady in their hearts and the ones who s p r e a d r u m o r s i n Madinah do not s t o p ( t h e i r evil deeds), We will certainly stir you up against them, then they shall no longer live in it as your neighbors, but for a little while, [60] ( a n d . t h a t too in a s t a t e of being) accursed. Wherever they are found, they shall be seized, a n d s h a l l be killed thoroughly. [61] - a c o n s i s t e n t practice of Allah in the matter of those who have gone before. And you will never find a change i n Allah's consistent practice. [62] Commentary

The previous verses have maintained t h a t causing p a i n to a n y Muslim, man or woman, is forbidden and is a major sin, and in particular, inflicting pain on t h e Holy Prophet $ is a n act of infidelity, liable to ! $ Allah's curse. Now, there were two kinds of pain caused by the hypocrites to all Muslims and to the Holy Prophet @. Preventive measures against these have been provided in the verses cited above. As a corollary, stated

t h e r e a r e a few additional injunctions i n a c e r t a i n congruity to be unfolded later on. One of these two kinds of pain caused was a t the hands of vagabonds from among t h e general r u n of hypocrites who used to molest bondwomen from Muslim homes when they came out to take care of family chores. Then on occasions, they would mistreat free women under the impression that they were bondwomen because of which pain was caused to Muslims a t large and to the Holy Prophet

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On the other hand, the SharTah of Islam has maintained a difference between free women and bondwomen in the matter of HijZb. The limits of HijZb prescribed for bondwomen a r e t h e limits observed by t h e free women'before their mahrams (marriage with whom is forbidden), for example, as leaving the face open before their mahrams is permissible for free women, the same was permissible for bondwomen even when they went out of their homes, because their very job was to serve their masters, an occupation that took them out of the home repeatedly which made it difficult for them to keep their face and hands hidden. This is contrary to the case of free women who, even if they have to go out for some need, would be doing so rarely, an eventuality in which the observance of full Hijab should not be difficult. Therefore, t h e command given to free women was that the long sheet with which they cover themselves when going out should be pulled from over their head downwards before their face, so that it does not get exposed before male strangers. Two things were accomplished thereby. I t made their own Hijab come out perfect while covering their faces served another purpose of distinguishing them from bondwomen, because of which they automatically became safe from being teased by wicked people. As for the arrangements made to keep bondwomen protected, the hypocrites were served with a warning to the effect t h a t , should they fail to abstain from t h e i r low behavior, (the torment of the Hereafter aside) Allah Ta'ZlZ would have them punished at the hands of His Prophet and Muslims in this world as well. The words used in the command about the HijZb of free women in the in which the ,,, verse under study (59) appear as follows: %% word: (yudnina) has been derived from: G (idna? which literally i ! m e a n s t o d r a w , pull o r m a k e come closer. T h e second word: ('alaihinn) means 'on' or 'over themselves' (hanging a s a screen for the face). The third word: % Galabib) in: +&Galabibihinn) is the plural

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form of: +C& (jilbab) which is t h e name of a p a r t i c u l a r long sheet. Sayyidna Ibn Mas'Gd & identified the form of this sheet as the one that is worn over the scarf (Ibn Kathir) and SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas & described its form in the words given below:

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"Allah Ta'ZlZ commanded women of the believers that, when they go out of their homes to take care of some need, they hide their faces with the long sheet (hanging down) from over their heads leaving only one eye open (to see the way)." - (Ibn Kathir) And I m a m M u h a m m a d I b n Sirin says: 'When I asked 'Ubaidah about the meaning of this verse and the nature of HijZb, he Salmani demonstrated it by hiding his face with the long sheet pulled from the top of his head and left to hang in front of it - and thus, by keeping only his left eye open to see, h e explained the words: idna': (bring close) and: jilbab (long sheet or shawl) practically .' 'To have the long sheet come from over the head and hand on, or in front of, the face' which appears in the statement of Sayyidna Ibn 'AbbZs & and 'Ubaidah Salmani ;iL d y, is the explanation (Tafsir) of the l Qur'anic word: ('alaihinn: over them), that is, the sense of bringing the sheet close over them is to let the sheet come from over the head and hang on, or in front of, the face.

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This verse commands the hiding of the face with ample clarity which comprehensively supports what has been stated under the commentary on t h e first verse of Hijab appearing earlier. There i t was said t h a t , though the face and the palms of the hands are not included under satr a s such b u t , u n d e r t h e apprehension of f i t n a h , hiding t h e s e too is necessary. Only situations of compulsion stand exempted.

A necessary point of clarification
This verse i n s t r u c t s free women to observe Hijab i n a particular manner, that is, they should hide their face by bringing the sheet from over the head to hang on, or in front of, the face so that they could be recognized a s distinct from bondwomen in general, and thus could stay protected from t h e fitnah of wicked people. The s t a t e m e n t referred to immediately earlier has already made it very clear that it never means

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that Islam has allowed some difference to exist between free women and bondwomen i n t h e m a t t e r of providing protection to t h e chastity and honor, and has protected free women and left bondwomen (to fend for themselves). Instead, the truth of the matter is that this difference was made by these wicked and low people themselves, as they simply did not dare act high-handedly against free women, b u t chose to tease bondwomen. The S h a r l a h of Islam took a functional advantage from this difference p u t into practice by them by ordering t h e free women to d i s t i n g u i s h t h e m s e l v e s , so t h a t t h e m a j o r i t y of w o m e n becomes automatically protected through their own s t a n d i n g conduct i n this matter. As far a s the matter of bondwomen is concerned, the protection of their chastity and honor is as much necessary in Islam a s t h a t of free women. B u t , i t could not be carried out except by u s i n g t h e legal authority. So, the next verse spells out that those who violate the law will not be forgiven - in fact, as and where they are found, they will be caught and killed. This is what provided a security shield for the chastity and honor of bondwomen a s well. This submission makes it clear that the interpretation offered in this verse by 'AllZmah Ibn Hazm and others - as different from the majority of scholars a n d i n a n effort to escape t h e doubt mentioned above - is something just no necessary. A doubt could have come up only when no arrangement was made for the protection of bondwomen.

A person who turns an apostate (murtadd)after having embraced Islam is killed in punishment
Two mischiefs made by the hypocrites have been mentioned in the cited verse a n d i t h a s been said t h a t should they fail to abstain from indulging in these any further, the punishment they shall face will be: , , ,? > > ,, >', 1% $ - ~,-+~ &i~jf;,+ (Wherever t h e y a r e found, t h e y s h a l l be seized, and shall be killed thoroughly - 61). This punishment is not meant for disbelievers a t large. Numerous textual authorities from the Qur'an and Sunnah bear it out that this is not the law of the S h a r l a h of Islam for disbelievers. I n fact, t h e law is t h a t they should first be invited to embrace Islam along with sincere efforts to remove any doubts they may have. If, even then, they elect not to enter the fold of Islam, they should be asked to live a s Dhimm; subjects of the Muslim state. If they accept that, the protection of their life, property and honor becomes obligatory on Muslims very much like t h a t of Muslims themselves. Yes, if t h e r e a r e
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those who do not accept this too, and choose the option of fighting, then, the command is to fight back against them. The reason why t h i s punishment to seize a n d kill t h e m h a s been awarded in a n absolute sense in the present verse is because this matter related to the hypocrites who used to call themselves Muslims - and when a Muslim starts demonstrating open hostility to and denial of Islam, such a person is called: Murtadd: apostate) in the terminology of the SharTah. With such a man, there is no compromise in the Shari'ah of Islam - except that he repents and reverts to Islam and accepts the injunctions of Islam in word and deed. Otherwise, this person will be killed a s it stands proved from clear statements of the Holy Prophet $$and the collective practice of the 2oble Sahabah. The Jihad waged against the Liar Musaylimah and h i s cohorts w i t h t h e collective a p p r o v a l of t h e S a h a b a h a n d t h e consequent killing of Musaylimah is sufficient as its proof. Then, in the last verse a s well (62), t h i s h a s been cited a s t h e customary law a n d practice of Allah Ta'iilZ which tells us that the punishment of a n apostate (murtadd) in the religious laws of past prophets was no other but killing.

Some Rulings: This verse proves that:
(1) When women have to go out of the house to take care of some need, they should go with their whole body covered with a long sheet and walk face-hidden with this sheet brought from over the head to hang on, or in front of, the face. The common 'burqa' also serves the same purpose.

(2) Spreading rumors among Muslims that subject them to anxiety or worry or cause harm is haram (forbidden, unlawful).
Verses 63 - 68

P e o p l e a s k you a b o u t t h e H o u r ( i . e . t h e Day of Judgment). Say," Its knowledge is only with Allah." And what can let you know? It may be that the Hour is near. [631 Surely, Allah has cursed the infidels, and has prepared for them a flaming fire, [64] wherein they will live for ever, finding no one to protect or to help. [65] The Day their faces will be rolled in the fire, they will say, " Oh, would t h a t we h a d obeyed Allah a n d o b e y e d t h e Messenger !". [66] And they will say, " Our Lord, we obeyed our chiefs and our elders, and they made us go astray from the path. [67] Our Lord, give them twice the punishment, a n d send a curse on them, a n enormous curse. [68] Commentary

Those hostile to Allah a n d t h e Messenger were warned of a n d alerted to curse a n d punishment in t h e present world a n d in t h e Hereafter while many factions among t h e disbelievers, in their own place, simply denied the eventuality of any Qiyiimah (Doomsday) or 'Tiikhirah (Hereafter) and, b e c a u s e of t h e i r d e n i a l , u s e d t o mockingly a s k : W h e n w o u l d t h a t QiyZmah come? An answer to their question h a s been given i n t h e cited verse, t h a t t h e Doomsday m a y be in n e a r f u t u r e . I t h a s b e e n s a i d so because nobody knows t h e exact d a t e of t h e Doomsday, a n d therefore everyone should be prepared for it a s if it were very close. Another reason for its being declared a s close is t h a t after facing the horrible incidents of Qiyiimah the entire worldly life of thousands of years will seem to be very short (and t h e QiyZmah very close to it).
Verses 69 - 71

0 those who believe, do not be like those who caused pain to Musa, then Allah cleared him of what they said. And he was honorable in the sight of Allah. [69] 0 those who believe, fear Allah, and speak what is straight forward. [70] Allah will correct your deeds for your benefit, and forgive for you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger achieves a great success. [711
Commentary T h a t c a u s i n g p a i n to Allah a n d H i s M e s s e n g e r b r i n g s f a t a l coi;;equences was the subject of the previous verse. The present verse instructs Muslims that they should particularly guard against falling into any stance of hostility to Allah and His Messenger because it causes pain to them. I n the first verse (69), by mentioning an event relating to Sayyidna MusZ a n event in which his people had caused pain to him, Muslims have been warned that they should never do something like that. From this, it does not necessarily follow that Muslims may have actually done so. Instead of that, by relating this incident, they have been forewarned as a matter of precaution. As for the incident of some Sahiibah reported in a narration, it is likely that they would have not realized a t that time that the word being said would cause pain to the Holy Prophet @. That a SahZbi would intentionally cause pain to t h e Holy Prophet $$is not possible. Whatever incidents of intentional causing of pain there are, they all relate to hypocrites. Then, by citing the incident relating to Sayyidna MusZ the Holy Prophet $ has himself explained the meaning of $ ! this verse a s it has been reported by Imam al-Bukhari from Sayyidnii AbG Hurairah @ in Kitabut-Tafsir and Kitabul-Anbiya'. There it is said that 'SayyidnZ MGsZ was a man of modesty and very particular in keeping his body properly covered. No one had the occasion to see his body uncovered. Whenever he needed a bath, he would take i t inside a screened place. Conversely, his people, the Bani Isra'il, had a common custom of t h e i r own. Among t h e m , men would b a t h e n a k e d before everybody. So, some of t h e m s t a r t e d saying t h a t t h e r e a s o n why SayyidnZ MGsZ 1 would not take a bath before anyone is that he had

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some defect in his body, either leprosy or enlarged testicles or some other evil-fated deformity because of which he preferred to r e m a i n hidden. be c l e a r e d from t h e Allah Ta'ZlZ willed t h a t SayyidnZ MGsZ went in attribution of such defects. On a certain day, Sayyidna MEsZ for a bath in private while he put off his clothes and placed these on a rock. When done with his bath, he moved to pick up his clothes from the rock. At t h a t time, t h i s rock (moving under Divine command) started with his staff in hand, went after running away. SayyidnZ MusZ > , , . ,:,-. the rock saying: ,-d y ,-cs'> ( 0 rock, my clothes! 0 rock, my clothes!). . . But the rock kept moving until it stopped a t a place crowded with the people of Bani Isra'il. At that time, when the Bani Isra'il saw SayyidnZ Musii 1 undressed from the head to the feet, they saw a body that was perfect (having no defect attributed by them). Thus, Allah Ta'alZ made it w a s free from these clear before everyone t h a t Sayyidnii M.Esii supposed defects. The rock had stopped a t t h i s place. Once Sayyidnii Musii had picked up his clothes and put these on, h e started beating up t h e rock with his staff. "By Allah," said t h e Holy Prophet @ "the strikes of Sayyidna MGsZ against the rock left some three or four or five traces on it!"

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After having recounted this event, the Holy Prophet $& said: This is ,, , what this verse of the Qur'an means, that is, thii. verse under study: & ( I 2; (Like those who caused pain to MEsZ.. - 33:69). The explanation of in this incident has been reported the pain caused to SayyidnZ MGsa $&I from the Holy Prophet himself. There is yet another story relating to the pain caused to SayyidnZ MEsa reported from the noble SahZbah which is also necessarily appended to it. But, t h e weightier Tafsir or explanation is the the one that is present in the HadTth reported from the Holy Prophet $& himself.
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; ; (And h e w a s $ ; At t h e e n d of v e r s e 69, i t w a s said: b ; honorable in the sight of Allah). The Arabic word used for Sayyidna MGsZ $581 wajih denotes t h e honor a n d elegance of someone who deserves regard a n d consideration. When used with: 'indallah: i n t h e sight of Allah), it would mean a person whose prayer is answered by Allah Ta'Zlii and whose wish He does not turn down. Hence, the station of Sayyidna KsZ as a person whose prayers were answered (popularly known as: mustajab-ud-da'awat) is proved from many events mentioned in the

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Qur'Zn where he prayed to Allah for something and He answered it the way he wanted it to be. Most unique of these is the prayer he made about where he wished t h a t h e be made a SayyidnZ HZrTin (Aaron) prophet. Allah Ta'alZ accepted his prayer and made him a co-prophet with - although, t h e high office of prophethood is not SayyidnZ MCsZ given to someone on someone's recommendation. (Ibn Kathir)

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Customarily, Allah Ta'ZlZ keeps prophets free from physical defects causing aversion In this event, Allah Ta'ZlZ has demonstrated such unusual concern to have Sayyidna MGsZ absolved of the blame imputed to him by his people which took no less than a miracle whereby a rock r a n away with Sayyidna MGsZ's clothes and he, compelled by circumstances beyond his control, came out undressed before the people. This extra-ordinary care shown by Allah Ta'ZlZ to free his prophet from this blame points out to the fact that Allah Ta'alZ keeps even the bodies of His prophets generally free and pure from defects that appear repulsive and undignified - a s it stands proved from the Hadith of BukhZr? that all prophets are lineally high-born. The reason is that it would be hard to agree to listen to, accept and follow someone from t h e line a n d family regarded by people a s customarily low. Similarly, the history of prophets does not bear out that any prophet was blind, deaf, dumb or handicapped. As for the case of SayyidnZ Ayyiib i t cannot be used to raise any objection, for what happened to him was the dictate of Divine wisdom, a particular trial, a temporary discomfort which was eliminated later on. Allah knows best.

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0 those who believe, fear Allah, and speak what is straight forward. Allah will correct your deeds f o r your benefit, and forgive for you your sins. (33:70-71)
The original word used in the text for "what is straight forward" is 'sadid' which has been explained by some exegetes a s what is the truth. Others explain i t a s straight, while still others, as correct. Quoting all of these, Ibn K a t h h calls all these true (on the beam hitting the target). The Holy Qur'an has chosen this word, instead of sEdiq or mustaqh, because the present word holds all these attributes of ideal speech within itself. I t

was for this reason that KZshifi said in Rub-ul-BayZn: Qawl Sadld is the saying of what is true having no trace of falsity; correct having no trace of error, right thing being no joke or fun; spoken softly, not harshly.

Correct use of one's power of speech is an effective source of correcting all deeds issuing forth from other parts of the body The basic command given to all Muslims in this verse is: $1 I$! (Take to taqwa, that is, fear Allah and act accordingly). The reality of taqwa lies in one's total obedience to all Divine injunctions whereby one carries out everything enjoined a n d abstains from everything declared prohibited and repugnant. And it is obvious that doing so is no easy task for human beings. Therefore, immediately a f t e r t h e m a i n guideline of hli$j. (ittaqullah: Fear Allah and act accordingly), there appears a n instruction to start doing something particular, that is, the correction and reform of one's speech. Though, this too is nothing but a part of taqwa itself, yet it is one such part of it that, should this thing come under control, all other remaining components of the comprehensive requirement of taqwa would start becoming achievable automatically, a s the verse itself h a s promised that, as a result of one's making his or her speech truthful and straight, Allah will correct his deeds. In other words it means that, 'should you succeed in holding your tongue and avoiding errors of speech and get used to saying what is correct, straight and right, Allah Ta'ZlZ will correct every other deed you do and make all of them better.' Then, concluding $ (and the verse, another promise was made and it was said: $& He will forgive for you your sins). It means: 'One who gains control over his tongue, learns to harness his or her power of speech and becomes used to saying what is true and right, then, Allah Ta'ZlZ will take care of the rest of his or her deeds, have them corrected and made better a s well as forgive any errors or slips made therein.'

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Injunctions of the Qur'Zn were made easy to follow Deliberation in the general style of the noble Qur'Zn shows that a t a place where acting upon a QurE'nic injunction seems to be difficult, a method has also been suggested along with it to make it easy. And since taqwii is t h e essence of t h e entire religion of Islam a n d fulfilling its dictates on all counts is very hard indeed, therefore, speaking generally, wherever the command to observe taqwa ('ittaqull?ihl) has been given, there appears soon after, the suggestion to do something that facilitates

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acting in accordance with the rest of the elements of Taqwa, something that comes from the side of Allah as His grace and taufTq. An apt and ready a t hand example of it lies in this very verse where the suggestion of:\$& Y>lJ> (say the right thing) follows soon after the command of: I$! (ittaqullah: Fear Allah). And immediately earlier too, in verse 69, after saying: ittaqullEh:( Fear Allah), it was said: "Do not be like those who caused pain to MGsZ) whereby people were reminded that causing pain to righteous and favoured servants of Allah is the most serious impediment in the achievement of taqwa and, once this impediment was removed, the way to taqwE will become easy.
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Similarly in another verse the command to observe TaqwZ has been supplemented by the direction of having the company of 'truthful persons' (9.118)which means that the easiest way to acquire the quality of taqwE is to remain i n t h e company of righteous people. At a n o t h e r place t h e command of taqwE is followed by the direction of pondering on what one has sent ahead for the Hereafter, because it leads one to observe Taqwa (59.18).

Saying what is right leads to doing what is right both here and Hereinafter
Shah 'Abdul-QEdir of Delhi >L; d l has translated this verse in a way t h a t leads to t h e conclusion t h a t the promise of correction a n d betterment of deeds made to those who get used to speaking in straight forward m a n n e r is not restricted to religious deeds alone. I n fact, everything one does i n t h i s material world is also included therein. Anyone who gets used to saying t h e right thing - t h a t is, never lies, speaks with deliberation without erring or wavering, does not deceive anyone and does not say what would hurt - shall find his spiritual deeds for his eternal life in the Hereafter, also come out right for him. As for the things he must do to live in this mortal world, these too will turn for the better. (The Urdu speaking readers should refer to the original translation of Shah Abdul QZdir to have a taste of its sweetness-editor)
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Verses 72 - 73

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We did offer the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear its burden and were afraid of it, and man picked it up. Surely, he was unjust (to himself), unaware (of the end), [72] with the result that Allah will punish the hypocrites, men and women, and the Mushriks, men and women, and will accept the repentance of t h e b e l i e v i n g m e n a n d women. S u r e l y A l l a h i s Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [73] Commentary

Emphasis has been placed in this entire STirah on the reverence of the Messenger of Allah and onatheobligation of obeying him. Now in the later part of the Surah, the great station and rank of this obedience has been identified. Here, t h e obedience to Allah a n d His Messenger a n d t h e implementation of their commands has been expressed through the word: amanah: (Trust), the reason of which will appear later.
What does "amanah"mean?

What is meant by the word: amanah a t this place? many views of the leading exegetes among S a h a b a h and T a b i ' h , a n d others, have been reported to answer this question. Different things have been held to be the 'amanah', such as, Islamic Legal Obligations, Protection of Chastity, Properties held under Trust, Removal of Impurity through having bath, SalZh, ZakZh Fasting, Hajj etc. Therefore, the majority of commentators have said that all areas of religious conduct are included in it. (Qurtubi) In Tafsir Mazharl, it was said: The whole package of all obligations and prohibitions set by t h e SharT'ah is a m a n a h . I n Al-Bahr-ul-MiihIt, Abii HayyZn said:

Apparently every thing one is trusted with (by the Shari'ah) from obligations and prohibitions, and every state of life which relates to this world or the Hereafter - in fact, the SharT'ah, all

of it, is amanah. ~ n this is the position the majority of d Muslim scholars has taken.

In short, amanah (trust) means to be obligated with the precepts and injunctions of the SharT'ah and being under command to carry these out. Once this is accomplished to the best of one's ability, the eternal blessings of Jannah (Paradise) have been promised, and on any contravention or shortcoming, there shall be the punishment of Jahannam (Hell). Some early commentators have said that amanah (trust) refers to the capability of fulfilling t h e heavy responsibility placed by Divine injunctions, something that depends on a particular degree of reason and awareness and moving forward therein and deserving Divine vice-regency depends on t h i s very capability. The species of creation t h a t do not have t h i s capability, no matter how high or superior their placement, simply cannot advance from their given place. For this reason, the skies and the earth, even angels, have no inherent ability to go forward from the place they are in. Everything from these creatures is restricted to whatever station of nearness (to the Creator) it has. Their state is aptly pointed to in a * ,,s , verse of the Qur'an where it was said: ?;L, 'A , ? $! l (There is no one among us who does not have a known station - As-SZffZt, 37:164)
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Under this sense of amanah (trust), all narrations of Hadith about amanah turn out to be symmetrical and the sayings of the majority of commentators also converge on almost a mutual agreement. I n t h e S a h i h s of al-BukhZrl a n d Muslim, a n d i n t h e M u s n a d of Ahmad, there is a narration from Sayyidnii Hudhaifah I&&? saying that, 'the Holy Prophet $& had told us about two things. One of these we have already witnessed with our own eyes. The unfolding of the other is still awaited. The first thing was that, "First of all, amanah was sent down into the hearts of the men of faith. Then, the Qur'Zn was revealed and then the people of faith acquired knowledge from the Qur'Zn, and practice from the Sunnah". After that, he narrated the other Hadith as follows: "A time will come when no sooner does a m a n rise from sleep, a m a n a h ( t r u s t ) will be confiscated from out of his heart leaving some of its traces behind, just like you would roll down a n ember from the fire on your feet (and this ember will certainly roll away but) its traces will survive in the form of

inflammation or blister - although, no constituent element of the fire itself is left o u t t h e r e . S o much s o t h a t people will e n t e r i n t o m u t u a l transactions a n d contracts, b u t no one will fulfill t h e obligations of amanah due against him and (there will be such a dearth of trustworthy men that) people will be found saying that there is a trustworthy man in such and such tribe!" I n this Hadith amanah h a s been declared to be something which r e l a t e s to t h e h e a r t a n d t h i s alone h a s t h e ability of fulfilling t h e obligations and duties imposed by the Shari'ah of Islam. And according to a narration of SayyidnZ 'AbdullZh Ibn 'Amr & appearing i n t h e Musnad of Ahmad, t h e Holy Prophet h a s been reported to have said, "There are four things which, if you come to have them, and you have nothing out of so many worldly things, you a r e still no loser. (Those four things are): Guarding of trust, telling the truth, good morals and lawful sustenance. (From Ibn Kathir)

An investigation into the way the 'trust'was 'offered' I n t h e cited verse (72), i t was said t h a t Allah Ta'ZlZ placed t h i s amanah (trust) before the heavens, the earth and the mountains and all of them refused to bear the burden of this responsibility shrinking from it out of the danger of not being able to fulfill its due right - but, man did.
Here, i t is worth pondering t h a t t h e heavens, t h e e a r t h a n d t h e mountains that are inanimate and, obviously devoid of knowledge and consciousness, how t h e n would i t b e possible t o r a t i o n a l i z e t h e presentation of such a n offer before them and that of their response to it? Some early commentators have taken this to be a figure of speech - a s the , , , , , noble Qur'Zn has said elsewhere by way of comparison: &-L lh Jj,--;: d G L&i64i>jL; a d We s e n t d o w n t h i s Q u r ' Z n t o a (H , mountain, you would have seen it humbled, burst apart out of awe for Allah - Al-Hashr 59:21). I t is obvious that this example has been given as a matter of supposition - not that it was really revealed to or on a mountain. So, these commentators have taken the 'offer' of 'trust' to the heavens etc. also in a figurative or metaphorical sense.

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But, in the sight of the majority of Muslim scholars, it is not correct, because in the verse of Surah Al-Hashr, the Qur'Zn has itself made it clear, by initiating t h e s t a t e m e n t with t h e word: 'if,'that i t i s just a

hypothetical s t a t e m e n t . O n t h e c o n t r a r y , t h e p r e s e n t v e r s e i s a n affirmation of a n incident in a descriptive style, and it is not permissible to take it in figurative or metaphorical sense without any proof. And if it is argued that these things have no senses and therefore no question can be a s k e d from t h e m a n d no a n s w e r is expected from t h e m , t h e n t h i s argument stands rejected on the basis of other express statements of the s Qur'Zn. The reason is that the Qur'Zn has explicitly said: y- 2 d Y! 5 ! , ?(And there is not a single thing that does not extol is purity and praise - Al-Isra', 17:44). And i t is obvious t h a t knowing Allah Ta'ZlZ, realizing that He is the Creator, the Master, the highest and the best, and glorifying Him consequently is something not possible without knowledge a n d consciousness. Therefore, i t s t a n d s proved from t h i s verse t h a t knowledge and consciousness do exist in all elements of creation to the extent that these are also there in what is considered to be inanimate. On the basis of this knowledge and consciousness, these can be addressed and a response can be expected from them. Their response could take different forms. I t could take the form of words and letters and - it is not rationally impossible - that Allah Ta'ZlZ could bestow on the heavens and the earth a n d t h e m o u n t a i n s t h e functional ability to verbalize a n d s p e a k . Therefore, in the sight of the majority of the learned among the Muslim Ummah, the phenomenon of this 'ard of amanah (the placement or offer of trust) came to pass in reality and these entities expressed their inability to bear the burden of this responsibility - also in reality. There is no simile or metaphor a t work here.
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The acceptance of the offer of the 'trust' was optional, not mandatory A question may be asked here. When Allah Ta'ZlZ personally made the offer of this great trust before the heavens and the earth and the mountains, how could they dare refuse it? If they had contravened the Divine order, they would have been destroyed totally. I n addition to that, the obedience of the heavens and the earth to divine orders is also proved from the verse: >& (we come in obedience - Fussilat, 41:ll) which means: When Allah Ta'ZlZ ordered the heavens and the earth to come to implement His command, be i t willingly or unwilling, both of t h e s e responded by s a y i n g t h a t t h e y w e r e pleased to come t o obey His command.
The answer is that, in the cited verse (41:11), the command given had a

mandatory command with it where it was also said that they were to come with pleasure, or without it but, no matter what is the case, they had to obey the command. This is contrary to the present verse featuring the offer of the trust where following its presentation, they were given the choice of taking or not taking this awesome responsibility. Ibn Kathir has, with the support of various authorities, reported from several S a h a b a h a n d Tabi'in - SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas, H a s a n al-Basri, Mujahid and others - the following details of this offer of the trust: 'What Allah Ta'ZlZ offered first to the heavens, then to the earth, and then to the mountains a s a matter of choice was: Would you undertake to carry out t h e responsibility imposed by this t r u s t (obedience to given injunctions) from Us against a return fixed for it?' Everyone asked, 'What is t h e r e t u r n ? ' I t w a s said, 'If you fulfill t h e d e m a n d s of t h i s t r u s t (obedience to given injunctions) to the best of your ability, you will have the best of reward, a n d particularly t h e honor of having nearness to Allah, and if you failed to implement these injunctions, or fell short in it, you will be punished.' Hearing this, all these huge big bodies responded by saying, '0 our Lord, we are operating under Your command even now. But (now when we have been given a choice), we find ourselves weak and unable to bear the burden of this heavy responsibility. As reward, we do not w a n t i t , a n d a s for punishment, we cannot b e a r it.' And Tafsir Qurtubi, with reference to Hakim Tirmidhi, has reported from Sayyidnii Ibn 'AbbZs & t h a t the Holy Prophet said: '(After the offer of the trust to t h e h e a v e n s a n d t h e e a r t h a n d t h e m o u n t a i n s , a n d a f t e r t h e i r response), Allah Ta'ZlZ addressed SayyidnZ 'Adam a n d said: 'We offered Our trust to the heavens and the earth but they expressed their inability to bear the burden of this responsibility. Now, would you assume this responsibility knowing that which goes with it?' 'Adam asked, '0 Lord, what is i t that goes with it?' The answer was: 'If you succeeded in fulfilling the demands of this trust to your best (that is, remained obedient to your best), you will be rewarded (which will be i n t h e form of t h e n e a r n e s s a n d p l e a s u r e of Allah a n d t h e e t e r n a l bliss of J a n n a h (Paradise), and if you let this trust go to waste, you will be punished.' 'Adam (eager to advance towards nearness and pleasure of Allah Ta'ZlZ) went ahead and assumed this responsibility. However, from the moment he assumed the burden of this heavy trust, not much time had passed, not even that much as is between the SalZh of 'A9r a n d Zuhr,

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within which the Satan snared him into that well-known slip and he was made to leave J a n n a h .

During which period of time did this event of the offer of trust take place? From the narration of SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs &% which has appeared immediately above, it seems that this offer of trust made to the heavens and the earth and the mountains was made before the creation of 'Adam. Then, following t h e creation of SayyidnZ 'Adam =I, i t was also said before him that this trust was also offered to the heavens and the earth earlier, and that they did not have the ability to bear the burden of this responsibility, therefore, they excused themselves out of it.
And what is apparent here is that this event of the offer of trust came before the Covenant of Eternity, that is, the Covenant of 'Alast because the Covenant of $> , , d'i (Am I not your Lord?) is a phase of this very acceptance to carry out t h e responsibility of fulfilling t h e t r u s t - a n d s t a n d s for t a k i n g a solemn pledge to hold a n d discharge t h e responsibilities enjoined by a n office.

For vicegerency on the earth, the ability to bear the responsibilities of the great trust was necessary As eternally predestined, Allah Ta'ZlZ had already decided to appoint His KhalTfah (vicegerent) on t h e e a r t h a n d this Sayyidnii 'Adam Khilafah (vicegerency) could only be entrusted with one who bears the responsibility of upholding the essential obedience to Divine injunctions because, it is the very objective of this KhTlafah that the Law of Allah be implemented on the earth and that the creation of Allah be induced to obey Divine injunctions. Therefore, as a matter of creational imperative, Sayyidna 'Adam agreed to bear the burden of the responsibility of this trust - although the inability of other humongous units of creation to bear it was already in his knowledge. (Mazhari and Bayan-ul-Qur5n).
In the last sentence of verse 72: Y w L+ ;$ : Surely, h e was unjust I (to himself) unaware (of the end), the word: 'ZalGm' means one who is unjust to himself, and yahiil' means one who is unaware of the end. From this sentence, it is generally assumed that it has appeared here blaming man i n a n absolute sense, t h a t is, so ignorant was m a n t h a t h e went ahead inflicting injustice upon himself by accepting to carry such a big burden of responsibility, something beyond his power. But, in the light of
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explicit statements in the Qur'Zn, this is not actually so because 'man' may mean either Sayyidna 'Adam @\or whole mankind. Now SayyidnZ 'Adam is, as a prophet, protected by Allah from committing sins. The burden of responsibility which he had assumed was carried out by him duly and certainly. As a result of this, he was made a vicegerent of Allah (KhallfatullZh) a n d s e n t t o t h e e a r t h . H e w a s m a d e t h e object of prostration by angels and, in the Hereafter, his station is far higher than that of the angels. And if 'man' must mean mankind, then, in this class, there a r e several h u n d r e d thousands of noble prophets r U l @ a n d several millions of t h e righteous a n d t h e men of Allah (awliya' Allah) even angels emulate - those who proved by their conduct i n life t h a t they were capable of handling and deserving this Divine trust. It was because of the basis laid out by these very noble souls, who duly vacated the rights and demands inherent in the great trust, t h a t the Holy Qur'Zn declared mankind to be the noblest of Divine creation: I'; 2 dy (And We bestowed dignity on the Children of 'Adam - Al-Isra', 17:70). This proves that neither is SayyidnZ 'Adam %@\blameworthy, nor the mankind a s a whole. Therefore, commentators have said that this sentence is not there to impute a blame, rather, it appears there as the description of the actual event with regard to the most of individuals in the class. As such, the sense is that the majority of human kind proved to be zaliim (one who inflicts injustice upon himself) and jahSil (one who is unaware of the end) that failed to fulfill the rights and demands of this trust and fell into the abyss of loss. And since this was the state of affairs with the majority, therefore, it was attributed to humankind.

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In short, in the verse, the two words (?alum and J a h u l ) mentioned above have been used for those particular individuals among h u m a n beings who did not obey t h e injunctions of t h e SharI'ah a s they were expected to, and failed to fulfill the right entailed by the amanah or trust placed with them - that is, the disbelievers, hypocrites, transgressors, the wicked, a n d sinning Muslims of t h e community. This Tafslr h a s been reported from SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs &, SayyidnZ Ibn Jubayr &, Hasan Al-Ba~ri L; d > l and others. (Qurtubi)
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And there are others who have said that FaKim and JahGl has been used a t t h i s place i n t h e sense of 'naive', a s a n affectionate form of address carrying t h e t h o u g h t t h a t man, brimming with love for his Creator and in quest of the station of nearness to Him, simply forgot the

end of the whole thing. Similarly, these words could also be taken to have been spoken for the entire humankind. I n Tafsir Mazhari, details of this aspect have been reported from Mujaddid Alf ThZni a n d other noble Suffs.

51 3@, (with t h e r e s u l t t h a t Allah will p u n i s h t h e &, I -,, hypocrites, men and women, and the Mushriks, men and women, and will accept the repentance of the believing men and women. Surely Allah is Most-Forgiving,Very-Merciful. [73]) The letter 'lam' used in the beginning of t h i s v e r s e is not for mentioning t h e c a u s e or a i m , a s generally understood i n common u s a g e , b u t i t i s t h e l a m of ' a q i b a h i n t h e terminology of Arabic linguistics. I t points out to the end of something, as it appears in a line of Arabic poetry which reads:
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'Be born only to be dead and build only to be ruined' It does not mean that the aim of one's birth was to be dead or t h a t the aim of constructing of a building was that i t could be ruined, but it simply means t h a t t h e e n d of everyone born is d e a t h a n d t h e e n d of every building is falling into ruins. The sense of t h e verse is t h a t , a s a result of man's assumption of responsibility for t h e t r u s t , mankind will split i n two groups: (I) Disbelievers, hypocrites and others who will rebel against Divine orders and become wasters of the great 'trust'. They will be punished. (2) There will be believing men and believing women who, through their obedience to Divine injunctions, will fulfill the dictates of the trust reposed i n them. They will be treated with mercy and forgiveness. The Tafsir of the two words: Zaliim and Jahiil that has been reported above from most TafsTr authorities finds additional support i n this last sentence as well - that these words are not meant for the whole mankind. I n fact, they particularly refer to those individuals who wasted away the Divine trust reposed in them. And Allah, Pure and High, knows best.

The Commentary on Siirah Al-AbzZb ends here With the help of and praise for Allah Ta'ZlZ

Praise be to Allah, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. And for Him is the p r a i s e i n t h e Hereafter. And He is t h e Wise, t h e All-Aware. [I] He knows all that goes into the earth and all that comes out therefrom, and all that comes down from the sky and all that ascends thereto. And He is the Very-Merciful, the Most-Forgiving. [2] And said those who disbelieve, "The Hour (i.e. the Day of Judgment) will not come to us." Say, "why not? By my Lord, the knower of the Unseen, it will come to you. Nothing in the heavens and in the earth, even to the measure of a particle, can escape Him, nor is there anything smaller than that or bigger, that is not recorded in a manifest book. [3] (The Hour will come,) so that He rewards those who believed and did righteous deeds. For such people, there is forgiveness (from Allah) and a noble provision. [4] And those who strived against Our signs to defeat (the messenger), for such people there is a painful punishment of the divine wrath. [5] And those blessed with knowledge see that what is sent to you from your Lord is the truth and it guides (people) to the path of the All-Mighty, the All-Praised. [6] And the disbelievers said," Shall we point out to you a man who informs you that, when you are totally torn into pieces, you will certainly be (raised) in a new creation? [7] Has he forged a lie against Allah, or is there a madness in him?" No, but those who do not believe in the Hereafter a r e in torment and far astray from the right path. [8] Have they not, then, looked to the sky and the earth that lies before them and behind them? If We so will, We would make the earth swallow them up, or cause pieces of the sky fall upon them. Surely, in this there is a sign for a slave of Allah who turns to Him.[9]

Commentary 4 $6 (the knower of the unseen). This is an attribute of the Rabb 1 , , (Lord ) in whose name an oath has been taken in verse 3. At this place, o u t of t h e m a n y a t t r i b u t e s of Allah Ta'ZlZ, t h e a t t r i b u t e of all-encompassing knowledge and the knowledge of the unseen has,

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perhaps, been mentioned particularly because the text is dealing with the matter of the deniers of the day of Resurrection. The major reason why the disbelievers rejected the inevitability of QiyZmah, the day of doom, was their inability to comprehend how the whole thing would work out. When all human beings die, and become dust, and the articles of this dust get scattered all over t h e world, they wondered, how would i t be possible to collect all these particles, separate the particles belonging to each human being from the particles of all others, and then go on to put the relevant particles back into the frame of everyone's existence? And they took it a s impossible because they had very conveniently taken the knowledge a n d power of Allah Ta'ZlZ on t h e analogy of t h e i r own knowledge a n d power! Allah TabZIZh a s told them t h a t His knowledge encompasses the entire universe in a manner that He knows everything in the heavens and the earth to the extent that He also knows where and in what state it is. Not a single particle of what has been created remains outside His knowledge - and this comprehensive a n d all-encompassing knowledge is hallmark of Allah TabZIZ.No created entity, whether a n angel or prophet, can ever have such a n all-encompassing knowledge that no particle of this universe remains outside it. Then, for a Being t h a t has such a n all-encompassing knowledge, why would it be difficult to reclaim the scattered particles of a human being from all over the universe, each separate from t h e other, a n d reconstitute their bodies from these once again?
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(So that He rewards those who believed - 4)

T h i s s e n t e n c e i s connected with t h e e a r l i e r one: &ll t h a t is, : ; al-Qiyamah or the Doomsday is bound to come and its purpgse will be to reward believers a n d to provide for t h e m t h e best s u s t e n a n c e from (5) i.e. Jannah (Paradise). And in contrast to them stand: G'l 2 those who made efforts to find faults with Our verses and tried to stop people from believing in them.
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The word: ,, which appears immediately after t h e verse cited above means t h a t t h i s effort by them was a s iG1they would render Us helpless in seizing them and would thus go scot-free from having to be present on the last day of QiyZmah.

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The sentence that follows immediately after: &i J >I& djji means that these people shall receive punishment, a severe punishment that will be painful. Verse 6: $1 I Jji~ $ 16; j (34:6) talks about believers in contrast with those who denied the coming of the QiyZmah. The former had put their faith in it and became the beneficiaries of the knowledge given by Allah Ta'ElE to the Holy Prophet by revelation. Y ' ,'<*' lj! , $ + $2 &J ; & G j6; ;I Reported in verse 7: j o 3 , ; ; , ( +" , J & & (Shall we p;int out to you a man...). There is a statement of disbelievers who denied t h e coming of QiyZmah. I n a n exercise of mockery, they used to say, 'come, let us identify a n unusual person for your benefit, a person who loves to tell you how, when you die a n d become dust, totally powdered into countless particles, even after all that, you will be brought into a new creation - and that you, all reshaped into the form you once were, will be made to stand up alive!'
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I t is obvious that the person alluded to here is no other but the Holy Prophet $! who used to tell people that QiyEmah will come when the dead $ will become alive once again, and exhorted people to put their faith in it. All these people who were deriding him knew him perfectly well, but in the present context, they have mentioned him in a manner as if they knew nothing else about him - nothing else but that he tells people about the dead rising alive on the day of QiyZmah. They had purposely elected to refer to him in that manner just to mock and deride him. The word: $ (when you are totally torn into pieces) is a derivation from: j> (mazq) which means splitting apart and rendering to pieces, *,, ' and: j o 3 (kulla mumazzaq: (totally torn) means the disintegration of ;, ( t h e h u m a n body i n a m a n n e r t h a t a l l i t s particles g e t dispersed separately. O n w a ~ d s from here, they take up another mode to comment on his statement relating to the QiyZmah. They say: i, u rl L & ~3 - '; g (Has he forged a lie against Allah, or is there a madness in him?"- 34%).The drive of their remark is that the idea that all totally disintegrated particles of the body will stand reassembled together, turn into the human body once again and be alive as well, is so unreasonable, to start with, that there remains practically no question of entertaining or accepting it. Therefore, this claim of the Holy Prophet
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is either a deliberate attempt to fabricate a lie against Allah Ta'ZlE, or the person who says so is insane and no premise of his statement is correct. ,"' The last verse (9): ij s J ; 1 $i (Have they not, then, i ;! looked to the sky and the earth that lies before them and behind them? ) carries two chastening messages:

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(1) I t proves t h a t one c a n come to believe i n t h e coming of t h e Qiyamah by pondering over what has been created in the heavens and the e a r t h , a n d once t h e perfect power of Allah Ta'ZlZ becomes visible through observation, the element of improbability which prohibited its deniers from accepting it could stand removed. (2) Then, right along with this positive invitation to see and learn on t h e i r own, t h e d e n i e r s h a v e also been s e r v e d w i t h a w a r n i n g of punishment. They have been told that should they continue to hold firmly to their attitude of rejection and denial, then, they should also realize that it is within this power of Allah Ta'alZ which could make the very same blessings to become a punishment for them, such as, the earth swallows them, or that the sky cracks apart and falls on them.

Verses 10 - 14

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And surely We bestowed grace from Us on DawGd." 0 m o u n t a i n s , p r o n o u n c e w i t h h i m Allah's p u r i t y repeatedly -- and you too 0 birds!" And We made the iron soft for him [lo] (saying to him,)" Make coats of armour, a n d maintain balance in combining (their) rings, and do, all of you, righteous deeds. Surely I am watchful of what you do." [ l l ] And for Sulayman (We subjugated) the wind; its journey in the morning was (equal to the journey o f ) one month, and its journey in the afternoon was (equal to the journey) of another month. And We caused a stream of copper to flow for him. And t h e r e were some J i n n s who worked before him by t h e leave of his Lord. And whoever of t h e m would deviate from Our command, We would make him taste the punishment of the blazing fire. [12] They used to make for him whatever he wished of castles, images, basins as (large as) tanks and big cook-wares fixed (in t h e i r p l a c e s ) . " Do good, 0 family of DawGd , i n thankfulness. And few from My slaves are thankful." [13] So, when We decided (that) death (should come) upon him, nothing gave them any indication of his death, except a c r e a t u r e of the e a r t h t h a t had e a t e n u p his sceptre. So, when he fell down, the Jinns came to know t h a t if t h e y h a d t h e knowledge of t h e Unseen, t h e y would not have stayed (so long ) in t h e humiliating punishment. [14] Commentary

The preceding verses have addressed the arguments of those who denied the possibility of the life after death, and believed i t to be irrational that a person may be revived after he has died and the parts of his body are decomposed and turned into dust. Now the stories of SayyidnZ DZwEd and Sulaymiin have been narrated in the present verses to show that Allah Ta'ZlZ has already demonstrated His power by the miraculous acts that were deemed by people to be impossible, like making iron a s soft as wax, subjugating the wind and making copper a s liquid a s water. The word: @ (fadl)in the opening sentence of verse lo: ij1i 4 dJ . 1 (And surely We bestowed grace from Us on DZwEd) means excess, favor or grace. The reference is to particular attributes bestowed on him in excess of others. Allah Ta'ZlZ has blessed every prophet with some

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unique attributes t h a t a r e considered to be their distinctive excellence. SayyidnZ DZwiid w a s given a few of his own. Besides being a prophet and messenger of Allah, he was also blessed with power over the world of his time. Then there was his gifted voice. When h e was busy with the dhikr of Allah or the recitation of Torah, the birds flying above would converge over him to listen. He was blessed with similar other miracles which find mention a little later. The word: ,, (awwibi) in the direct address appearing next: ,, JG- G , (ya jibalu awwibi) is a derivation from: (ta'wib) which means to r e t u r n or repeat. T h e sense is t h a t Allah Ta'alZ h a d commanded the mountains t h a t once Sayyidna DZwlld %@I s t a r t s making Dhikr a n d Tasbih (the glorification of Allah), the mountains too should s t a r t reciting the same words after him. Similar to t h i s is t h e tafsir of SayyidnZ I b n 'AbbZs ~$4who h a s ; explained: >i (awwibi: return, or repeat after) as being in the sense of: , , $ (sabbihi: glorify, recite the praise of Allah). (IbnKathir) This Tasbih (glorification of Allah) the mountains used to do along with SayyidnZ DZwiid is in addition to the universal Tasbih done by the entire creation of Allah that goes on everywhere, all the time, in every ,',,,"' ' ,, age - as said in the noble Qur'an: 7-,+ a& Y 3; ? ~ _ r "Y! $ s ; 3!1 - i' (And there is not a single thing that does not extol His purity and praise, but you do not understand their extolling - 1 7 : ~ ) The tasbih mentioned . here has the status of a miracle shown a t the hands of SayyidnZ DZwiid For this reason, it is obvious that common listeners would be hearing and understanding this Tasbih. Otherwise, it would have just not been a miracle.
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From here we also learn that the mountains synchronizing their voice with the voice of SayyidnZ DZwEd and repeating the Tasbih after him was not i n t h e manner sound reverberates, something commonly heard when someone calls inside a dome or well or elsewhere and the voice reverberates or returns. The reason is that the noble Qur'Zn has mentioned t h e manifestation of this phenomenon a s a special gift a n d grace bestowed upon SayyidnZ DZwEd %@I. The reverberation of sound is a physical thing. I t has nothing to do with someone's excellence. I t will work for a n y o n e , e v e n for a disbeliever. At a place w h e r e s o u n d

T h e word: $1; (wattair: a n d you too 0 birds) refers to t h e phenomenon of birds joining up in the air a t his voice and doing tasbih like the mountains - as it has been mentioned in another verse of the ,, Qur'En: ;,+&kiij ~ I ~ Y 2 I 4 ~ ,' L JW'I ; L L! (We had subjugated I , ~ G L the mountains to join him (in) making tasbih (i.e. pronouncing Allah's purity) a t evening and sunrise, and the birds a s well mustered together 38:18).
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In the last sentence of verse 10 and the first sentence of verse 11, it 2 ;$; $.A 3i.i:@ 2 3 ; (And We made the iron soft for was said: ?>I him (saying to him,)" Make coats of armour, a n d maintain balance in combining (their) rings,' - %:lo). This is another miracle that iron was made soft for him. Early tafsir authorities - H a s a n B a ~ r i Qatadah, , A'mash, and others - said that Allah Ta'ZlE had, by way of a miracle, turned iron soft a s wax for him. To make something out of it, he needed no fire, or h a m m e r , or a n y other tools. T h e p a r t of t h e s t a t e m e n t appearing in verse 11 goes on to state that the iron was made soft for him so that he could easily make coats of mail with iron. In another verse, it has also been mentioned that Allah Ta'ElE had Himself taught him the making of coats of mail: $ $3 (And We taught him making of armour as dress for you - 21230). And what appears later in this very verse 11: ?>I31;$ (and maintain balance in combining (their) rings) also leads 2 to the final stage of training in this craft. The word: ; (qaddir) is derived $ $ from: ; (taqdir) which means making on a certain measure while the word: 2; (surd) literally means to weave. The sense thus released is to make a coat of mail in a manner that its links come out balanced and proportionate without one being small and the other being big, so that it 2$ turns out strong a s well as looks good when seen. This tafsir of: ?>I ; (and maintain balance in combining (their) rings) has been reported from Sayyidnii 'AbdullZh Ibn 'Abbiis &.' (IbnKathir)

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man-made things is desirable, since Allah Ta'KlZ has given a particular instruction for it. 2. Some early commentators take taqdir in: 2 3 1 &;$ (qaddir f i 's-sard: and maintain balance in combining (their) rings) to mean that

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there should be a fixed measure of time devoted to this craft, lest most of the time is consumed in that single pursuit causing disruption in duties of 'ibadah a n d responsibilities of t h e office and state. I n t h e light of this tafsir, we come to know that people in areas of industry and labor should also s p a r e some t i m e for 'ibiidah a n d p e r s o n a l e n r i c h m e n t while remaining duly organized a s far a s the necessary management of time is concerned. (R* ul-Ma'5ini)

The merit and grace of inventing, making and producing things
The verse under study proves that making and manufacturing things of need is so significant that Allah Ta'ZlZ has taken it upon Himself to teach its mores to His great prophets. That SayyidnZ DEwZd was trained to make coats of mail already stands proved from this very verse. was inducted into boat building. He Then, this is how SayyidnZ Niih was told: &$i ;1 $ : ''Build the boat before Us" [literally, 'with Our Eyes' or 'under Our Eyes'] - 11:37. 'Build before Us' simply means 'build the way We tell you to.' That some other prophets were also taught the making of different things in a similar manner stands proved from some narrations of Hadith. There is a published book with the title of al-tibb al-nabawii a t t r i b u t e d to Hadith authority, Hafiz S h a m s u d d i p adh-Dhahabi. I t contains a narration to t h e effect t h a t t h e making of almost a l l i m p o r t a n t a n d necessary things i n h u m a n life - s u c h a s , house-building, cloth-weaving, t r e e - p l a n t i n g , food-processing a n d wheel-based conveyances for transportation etc. - was taught by Allah through the medium of wahy (revelation). Ta'ZlZ to His prophets

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It is a sin to take the labourers as low in rank
I n Arabia, different people used to go i n different professions. No profession or occupation was considered low or disgraceful and no one was taken to be any better or worse on the basis of work, trade, or occupation, nor would brotherhoods a n d communities rise solely on t h e basis of occupation. The promotion of the idea of such communities a s based on occupation and the attitude of taking some professions low and mean as such was alien there. This was a product of Hindu India. Having lived there with them, Muslims too were influenced by it.

The wisdom of having Sayyidnii DZwiid making of coat of mail

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From a narration of the Hadith authority, Hafi? Ibn 'AsZkir, it has

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been reported i n Tafslr Ibn Kathir t h a t during t h e period of his rule, SayyidnZ DZwiid used to visit bazaars and public places while in disguise and would ask people coming in from different sides a s to what they thought about DZwEd. Since, justice reigned i n t h e kingdom of SayyidnZ DZwtid, people were living a good life, no one h a d a n y complaints against the government of t h e time, therefore, whoever he asked, the addressee would have words of praise for him and express his gratefulness for the prevailing equity and justice. It was for his education and grooming that Allah Ta'ZlZ sent a n angel in t h e shape of a man. When SayyidnZ DZwGd came out on his routine quest for truth, this angel met him. As usual with him, h e put the same question to him. The angel said, 'DZwEd is a very good man and as compared to everyone, he is doing better for himself and better for his people and subjects too. But, he has one habit which, if it were not there, asked, 'What habit is he would have been perfect.' SayyidnZ DZwEd I% that?' The angel said, 'He takes the expenses on himself and his family from the property of Muslims, that is, from the Baytul-Ma1 (The Public Treasury of a Muslim State).'

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made it a point to immediately Hearing this, SayyidnZ DZwEd turn to Allah subhanahu wa Ta'ZlZ with self-reproach, lamentation and prayer, saying, 'Teach me to do something for which I have to work with my own h a n d s a n d support myself a n d my family with wages from i t while working gratis (free, without compensation) to serve Muslims and run their state.' Allah Ta'ZlZ answered his prayer and taught him the a r t of making coats of mail and the honor, befitting a prophet, He bestowed on him was that iron was made wax for him so that it became unusually easy for him to earn his sustenance within a short period of time and thus use t h e rest of his time for 'Ibadah (worship) a n d obligations of s t a t e management.

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Ruling For a Khalifah (Muslim head of a n Islamic state) of the time, or a king, or ruler who spends all his time in taking care of state affairs, it is permissible in t h e SharTah of Islam t h a t h e takes his average living expenses from Baytul-Mal. But, should there be some other means of livelihood available, then, that would be more desirable - a s it was with SayyidnZ SulaymZn %\. Allah Ta'ZlZ had put the treasures of the whole

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world a t his disposal. Gold, precious stones and everything needed was available to him in abundance. Then Allah Ta'alE had also allowed him to expend whatever h e wished from t h e holdings of t h e Baytul-Mal, a n d , ,>, * according to the verse: +L& & ,&I +b (SO,do favour (to someone) or ,, ;I withhold (it) with no (requirement to give) account - 38:39), he was also given the assurance t h a t he could spend in whatever manner h e wished and that he did not have to account for it. But, this event came to pass because Allah Ta'ZlE, i n His wisdom, would have t h e noble prophets occupy a very high station and, it was after that, that SayyidnZ DZwEd @\- despite being the ruler of a n empire - used to earn his living with his own hands, and was always satisfied with it.
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'Ulama' (religious scholars) who serve the religious cause of education and communication (Ta'lim and Tabligh) without remuneration, and the Qadi (judge) a n d Mufti (juri-consult, Muslim jurist highly t r a i n e d to deliver authenticated rulings on problems and issues for the benefit of the community a t large) who spend t h e i r time i n public service a r e also governed by t h e s a m e injunction, t h a t is, they c a n t a k e t h e i r living expenses from the Baytul-Mal. But, should there be some other way to eke out a living - which does not hinder t h e ongoing religious service being performed - then, t h a t would be better.

Special Note whereby he F r o m t h i s c o n d u c t 6f S a y y i d n i i Diiwiid demonstrated the great concern he had to find out the informal, free and totally unfettered opinions of people about his ways of doing things, it is proved that one usually does not know his own shortcomings, therefore, this should be found out from others. The well-known jurist of Islam, Imam MZlik SL; dl -J also paid particular attention to find out what common people thought about him. ,.,* ,, /a,' We can now t u r n to verse 12: 4 L g A U j # bj-ii &I (And for SulaymZn: (We subjugated) t h e wind; i t s journey i n t h e morning was (equal to the journey of) one month, and its journey i n the afternoon was (equal to t h e journey) of another month). After having mentioned t h e blessings bestowed u p o n S a y y i d n a Diiwtid @I, t h e t e x t r e f e r s to I t was said t h a t t h e way Allah Ta'Zla h a d SayyidnZ Sulaymiin ,%I. subjugated mountains and birds for SayyidnZ DiiwGd @I, similarly, the Wind was subjugated for Sayyidnii Sulaymiin @I. I t would t a k e t h e
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throne of SayyidnZ SulaymZn on which he was seated with a large n u m b e r of h i s c o u r t i e r s to wherever h e wished a l w a y s u n d e r h i s i command. Early exegete, Hasan a l - B a ~ rhas said that the miracle of the in subjugation of the Wind was bestowed upon SayyidnZ SulaymZn return for what he had done once while inspecting his stable of horses. So engrossed he became in this activity that he missed the Salah of al-'asr. Since the horses became the cause of this negligence, SayyidnZ SulaymZn decided to eliminate the very cause of negligence. He sacrificed these horses by s l a u g h t e r i n g t h e m (since t h e sacrifice of horses w a s also permissible in the law of SayyidnZ Sulayman very much like the cows a n d oxen) a n d since t h e s e h o r s e s w e r e owned by SayyidnZ Sulaymiin $&, the question of bringing loss to the Baytul-Ma1 simply does not arise, and the doubt of wasting personal property because of the sacrifice also does not hold good. Full relevant details about it will appear in the commentary on Siirah Sad (38:30-40,appearing later in this very Volume VII). In short, because Sayyidna SulaymZn sacrificed the horses he rode, Allah Ta'ZlZ blessed him with a better ride. (Qurtubl)

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In the other part of the verse taken up immediately earlier: + bj-u - LpIj,j (34:12), the word: j-L; , & (ghuduww) means moving in the morning and the word: il;; (rawah) means moving in the evening. Thus, the sense of the verse comes to be that this throne of SulaymZn perched on the wings of the wind from the morning to the afternoon would cover the travel distance of one month, and then, from early evening to late night, t h a t of a n o t h e r one month. I n t h i s way, i t used to cover t h e t r a v e l distance of two months in one full day.
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To explain t h e next sentence of verse 12: > d a; (And We i caused a stream of copper to flow for him), it can be said t h a t Allah Ta'ZlZ made a metal a s hard a s the copper turn into a liquid flowing like water, even gushing forth like a stream of water, and was not hot either - so

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that, utensils and other things of need could be easily shaped from of it. SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs said that this stream started flowing a s far as i t would t a k e a t r a v e l of t h r e e days a n d t h r e e n i g h t s to cover t h a t distance. And t h i s w a s located i n t h e l a n d of Yemen. T h e n , i n t h e narration of Mujahid, it appears tha't this stream started from San'a' in Yemen a n d continued to flow like a s t r e a m of w a t e r u p to a t r a v e l distance of t h r e e days a n d t h r e e nights. Famous g r a m m a r i a n , Khalil Nahwi said that the word:& (yip) mentioned in this verse means molten !, copper. (Qurtub;) The next sentence: %-I! 3 3 >j (And there were some Jinns 1 ,, who worked before him by the leave of his Lord - 34:12) is also connected ( s a k h k h a r n a : We w i t h t h e e l l i p s i s ( d j j L N I : m a h d h u f ) of : subjugated). The sense is that 'We subjugated for SulaymZn @\ such people from among the Jinns who would do the chores h e assigned to them before him - a s commanded by their Lord. T h e addition of t h e ,,, ,, , expression: %-I? (baiyna yadaiyhi: before him) may, perhaps, be there to make it clear t h a t the subjugation of Jinns was not of the kind mentioned in the Qur'iin where the text talks about harnessing the Moon and the Sun into the service of human beings. Instead, this subjugation was in the nature of mastery over the Jinns who worked before him like vassals busy doing chores assigned to them.
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The matter of the subjugation of Jinns
As for the subjugation of Jinns (for Sulaymiin @I) mentioned a t this place, it was by the command of Allah Ta'ZlZ and there can be no doubt about i t s possibility. Similarly, what h a s appeared i n some narrations about some noble S a h a b a h t h a t they had J i n n s made subservient to them, i t was t h e same kind of subjugation by t h e leave of Allah with which they were blessed a s a Karamah. It was not based on any act or on recitation (Wa~ifah) their part - a s mentioned by 'Allamah Sharbini in TafsTr As-sirajlll-Munir under his commentary on this verse. He h a s cited several events relating to Sayyidnii Abii Hurairah, 'Ubaiyy I b n Ka'b, Mu'adh Ibn Jabal, 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab, AbE Ayyiib al-AnsZrT, Zayd hl pJ which prove t h a t the Jinns used Ibn Thabit and others to be a t their service. But, it was nothing but the grace and mercy of Allah Ta'iilii that, like Sayyidnii Sulaymiin (&&I, He made some Jinns subservient to these blessed souls.

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But, the particular 'subjugation' through incantations and correlated sets of self-invented actions popular among 'amils or practitioners of this line of activity is something one should take with a pinch of salt and first find out t h e Islamic rule of guidance i n t h i s matter. Qadi Badruddin Shibli al-Hanafi who is one of the scholars of t h e eighth century h a s written a book, 'Akam- ul-Marjan fi AhkZim- i l - J a n n ' on t h i s subject. who has been the first According to him, it is SayyidnZ SulaymZn 1 one to have the Jinn into his service with the leave of Allah and a s a miracle. And the people of Persia attribute this to Jamshaid Ibn Onjahan a s being served by the Jinns. Similarly, there are events on record about 'Asif I b n Barkhiya a n d o t h e r s who were connected w i t h SayyidnZ SulaymZn &&\ which indicate t h a t they too h a d J i n n s subservient to them. Then, the most famous among Muslims are AbG Nasr Ahmad Ibn Hilal al-Bukail and Hilal Ibn Wasif attributed to whom there a r e many unusual events of the subservience of the Jinns to them. Hilal Ibn Wasif has written a full book in which he has put together what the Jinns said to SayyidnZ SulaymZn 1 and the pledges SayyidnZ SulaymZn &&I took from them. Qadi Badruddln h a s written in this very book t h a t generally t h e 'amils who do their thing to subjugate t h e J i n n s u s e satanic words of infidelity (Kufr) and sorcery (Sehr) liked by infidel Jinns and satans. The secret of why they would accept to become their vassals is nothing but that they stand placated by their deeds soaked in kufr and shirk and go on to do a few jobs for them by way of bribe. This is the reason why i n doing things of this nature, they would write the Holy Qur'Zn with blood and other impurities. Hence, the disbelieving Jinns and satans, pleased with their evil offering, would do what they want them to do. However, about a person named Ibn al-Imam, he has written t h a t h e lived during the period of Khalifah Mu'tadid bil-lah and he had subjugated the Jinns through the effective use of Divine Names. As such, there was nothing i n his recitations that would go counter to the SharTah. ('Akam-ul-Marjan, p.
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In short, if the Jinns get subjugated for someone, without his own intention or motivated action, solely being something from Allah, a s it stands proved in the case of SayyidnZ SulaymZn % . and some noble &! then, that is included under Mu'jizah Sahabah of the Holy Prophet

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(miracle shown a t the hands of a prophet of Allah) or karamah (working of wonder in the nature of a miracle shown a t the hands of men of Allah). And such subservience when achieved through bland pragmatism of formula incantations ('amaliyTit) would be judged on the basis of its active content. If it contains words of Kufr, or deeds of kufr, it will be nothing but kufr (disbelief, infidelity) - and if it is composed of disobedience or sin only, then, it is a major sin. Then, there are strange words used in such formula invocations and actions. Their meanings are not known. These too have been classed by Muslim jurists as impermissible on the basis that the possibility of such words being loaded with words t h a t contain kufr, shirk and sinfulness cannot be ruled out. I n 'Akam-ul-Marjan, QZdl Badruddin has written that the use of words the meanings of which are not known is also impermissible. And if this act of subjugation be through Divine Names or Qur'anic Verses and there also be no such sin like the use of impurities in it, then, it is permissible with t h e condition t h a t t h e aim thereby should be to remain personally safe against harm caused by the Jinns, or save other Muslims from it. In other words, the aim should be to remove harm, and not to secure benefits, because if it is adopted a s a profession to e a r n money, it amounts to the enslavement of someone created free a n d to exacting forced labour without remuneration, hence prohibited @ariim). Allah knows best. The last sentence of verse 12 is: 31 2 G?;L) 2 C :2 3 (And j whoever of them would deviate from Our command, We would make him taste the punishment of the blazing fire.) Most commentators have taken this to mean the punishment of Jahannam (Hell) in the hereafter. Some others have said that, in this world as well, Allah Ta'ZlZ had set a n angel upon them who, in case they fell short in obeying SayyidnZ SulaymZn @\,would beat t h e m with burning lashes a n d force t h e m to work. (Qu~ubi) The doubt that the Jinns are made of fire after all and the fire would hardly affect them is not worth entertaining here. The reason is that the Jinns are made of fire in the same sense as man is made of dust. It means that the preponderant element of man is dust. Still if man were to be hit by a clod of clay, or stone, it would h u r t him. Similarly, t h e preponderant element of the J i n n s is fire. But, pure a n d potent fire would burn them too.
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In verse 13: dL, $:&; -& , i-L$ L 3 ; & (They used to make for him whatever he wished of castles, images, basins as (large as) t a n k s a n d big cook-wares fixed i n t h e i r places), t h e r e is a somewhat detailed description of t h e jobs Sayyidna SulaymZn $$% assigned to the Jinns. The word: -:2G (maharib, translated above a s 'castles') is the plural form of:=I; & , (mihrab) and is used to identify the noblest part of the house. When kings and men of authority make a state operation chamber, sort of power niche for themselves, it is also known as (harb) meaning war. mihrab. Then the word: is a derivation from: c~y One m a k e s a s e a t of power for himself, keeps i t safe a g a i n s t being approached by others, and should anyone resort to any high-handedness, fight against the aggressor. Given this congruity, the special he ~ x r ~ u l d section of a mansion is called mihrab. Then the masajid or mosques a s such are, on occasions, referred to as maharib. When reference is made to the maharib of s a h a b a h from among t h e maharib of Ban: IsrZ'il a n d Islam, it means their Masajid or mosques.

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The injunction of having a separate place for making a Mihrab in Masajid
and the As f a r a s t h e blessed period of t h e Holy P r o p h e t rightly-guided Khulafa' is concerned, the custom of making t h e place where the Imam stands a s a separate special unit just did not exist. After the early centuries of Islam, t h e kings promoted t h i s custom for their security a n d , among common Muslims, i t found currency d u e to t h e expedient consideration t h a t t h e whole row where t h e I m a m s t a n d s remains empty. I t is in view of the large number of people praying in the congregation of masajid already short on space that only a place for the Imam to s t a n d is made by going i n depth toward t h e wall facing t h e Qiblah so t h a t full rows could be formed behind him. Since this method did not prevail during the early centuries of Islam, some 'Ulama' have dubbed i t a s bid 'ah (innovation i n the established religious practice of Islam). Shaykh J a l a l u d d i n as-Suyuti h a s w r i t t e n a regular t r e a t i s e entitled: I'lam-ul-'Aranib fi Bid'atil-Maharib on this issue. However, the correct position in this matter is that, should mihrabs of this nature be made for the convenience of the people praying, and in the best interests of the masjid - without taking it to be the desired Sunnah - then, there is no reason to call i t a bid'ah (innovation in established religion). Yes, if

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t h i s is made to be t h e desired S u n n a h , a n d whoever does a n y t h i n g against it gets to be censured, then, this excess (ghuluww) can make such a n action fall under the purview of bid 'ah.

Ruling
If mihrab is made in the form of a regular place for the Imam to stand and lead the prayers, it is incumbent on the Imam that he stands slightly outside the mihrab in a manner that his feet remain out of the mihrab, so t h a t t h e place i n which t h e I m a m a n d t h e muqtadis (those praying behind the Imam) can be counted as one. Otherwise, reprehensible and impermissible is t h e situation i n which t h e I m a m s t a n d s alone i n a separate place and the rest of the muqtadis, in another. Some masajid would make a mihrab so spacious that it would be good enough to hold a small row of muqtadis within it. I n a mihrab such a s this, should a row of muqtadis also stand in the mihrab and the Imam stands ahead of them, being fully inside t h e m i h r a b , t h e n , because of t h e I m a m a n d t h e m u q t a d i s b e i n g o n c o m m o n g r o u n d s , t h e e l e m e n t of k a r a h a h (reprehensibility) will no more be there. The next word: &dS; (tamathil, translated above a s 'images') is the plural form of: JL:(timthal). I t appears in the Arabic Lexicon, al-Qamus, that: JL(tamthal) with a fathah on the letter: F U (ta? is a verbal noun, ~ and the word: J : L(timthal) with a kasrah on the letter: Fl (ta3 denotes a U picture. In Ahkam-ul-Qur'an, Ibn-ul-'Arabi has said that timthal, that is, a picture is of two kinds: (1) The picture of animate and living things, (2) t h a t of inanimate a n d lifeless things. After t h a t , inanimate things a r e further divided in two kinds: (1) Jamad or inorganic i n which there is no increase and growth, such as, rock or soil, (2) nami or organic in which increase and growth go on, such as, trees and crops. The Jinns used to To make pictures of all kinds of these things for Sayyidna Sulayman @I. begin with, t h e very generality of t h e Qur'Znic word: $d;- (tamathil: images) lends support to the view that these pictures were not those of some particular kind, instead, were common to all kinds. Then there are the historical narratives in which the presence of the pictures of birds on the throne of SayyidnZ SulaymZn has also been mentioned.

The prohibition of making and using pictures of the living in Shari'ah
The cited verse (12) tells u s t h a t making a n d using pictures of t h e

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living was not haram (forbidden) in the SharTah of Sayyidnii Sulaymiin WI. But, experience bore out that pictures of people were made among past communities to pay homage to them, then they were put in their houses of worship to serve a s reminders of their devotion i n t h e hope t h a t i t might e n a b l e t h e m too to devote likewise. T h i s did not h a p p e n . Gradually, what really happened was that these people made these very pictures the objects of their worship and thus began the worship of idols and icons. In short, the pictures of the living creatures made in past communities became the conduit of idol-worship. Since it is divinely destined that the Shari'ah of I s l a m m u s t s t a y a n d survive r i g h t t h r o u g h t h e Day of Judgment, therefore, particular attention has been paid there to block the intrusion of t h e undesirable. Hence, t h e way sins a n d initially h a r a m things have been made unlawful, similarly, t h e i r conduits a n d close causes have also been made unlawful by appending these to main sins and haram things. Of crimes, the real one, and the most serious, happens to be shirk and idol-worship. When this was forbidden, the law of Islam did not leave the ways and means that could smuggle idol-worship in it unchecked. I t was boldly and wisely checked when the conduits and close causes of idol-worship were also prohibited. Making and using pictures of the living was made prohibited on this very basis. That it is unlawful stands proved on the authority of the ahiidith of the Holy Prophet ahEdith t h a t a r e sound, authentic, a n d have been t r a n s m i t t e d i n a n uninterrupted succession.

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Similarly, when liquor was made haram, also made haram were its buying a n d selling, wages to deliver o r c a r r y i t , a n d i t s m a k i n g , everything about it, being the conduits of drinking. When theft was made haram, the very entry i n someone's house without permission, i n fact, even peeping i n from outside t h e house was prohibited. When zina (fornication, adultery) was made haram, even casting a look intentionally a t a non- m a h r a m was also made haram. Comparable examples of i t abound in the Shari'ah of Islam.

The prohibition of pictures: A common doubt and its answer
I t can be said t h a t the use of pictures during the blessed time of the Holy Prophet could have become a source of idol-worship. But, in our time, pictures serve many purposes, such a s establishing identity of

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criminals, a d v e r t i s i n g t r a d e m a r k s , meeting friends a n d r e l a t i v e s , investigating events and circumstances and so many other things. For this reason, it has been included in one of the 'necessities of life. In this, the apprehension of any idol-worship is far too remote to conceive. As such, this prohibition that was made to offset the danger of idol-worship should now be lifted. Answer to this doubt is that First of all, it is not correct to say that, in our time, pictures are no more a source of idol-worship. Even today, there are so many sects and groups who worship their peers. Then, it is not necessary either that the wisdom behind a n operative divine order should be found in every individual case. In addition to that, the sole reason for the prohibition of pictures is not that it is a conduit of idol-worship. In fact, t h e r e a r e S a h i h (sound a n d authentic) a h a d i t h i n which other reasons for this prohibition have also been given. For example, picture making is a duplication of the special attribute of Allah Ta'515. The name: (musawwir: the giver of form, shape, color and real presence) is one of the most beautiful names of Allah Subhanahu w a TaSilE,and making of pictures (and the giving of form, shape and presence) is, in reality, befitting for Him a n d i t lies within His power to c r e a t e among His creations thousands i n terms of genus, race, class, category a n d kinds with millions and billions of living units in each kind, each different in shape. Take the example of human beings. The form and shape of men is different. So is the form and shape of women. There have been billions of individual men and women. None of them were absolutely like anyone else . T h e distinct f e a t u r e s of every person a r e so manifest t h a t a n onlooker would easily recognize him without much hesitation. Who can claim to give t h e c r e a t u r e s such marvelous s h a p e s other t h a n Allah Almighty? A human being who makes a picture, or painting, or statue of someone living is claiming, for all practical purposes, that he or she too can make ( t h e same) 'images.' Therefore, i t a p p e a r s i n t h e S a h i h of al-Bukhari and in other ahEdith that, on the Day of Judgment, those who make pictures will be told: When you have tried to imitate Us, make the imitation perfect too - if you have the power to do so. We did not simply make a n image. We have invested it with a spirit too. If you claim to have 'created' it, then, you better put a spirit inside the thing you have 'made'. Another reason why a picture is prohibited appears in Sahih ahEdith

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where it is said that the angels of Allah hate pictures and dogs. Angels do not e n t e r t h e house t h a t h a s these, because of which, t h e bliss a n d radiance of the house is gone, and the ability of the inmates to worship a n d remain obedient to Allah is reduced. Then, along with i t , not so 3~ IJ Jk 4 ; k (A vacant house is wrong is the well-known saying: occupied by demons). So, when some house remains unvisited by angels of mercy, who else but the devils and demons will be all over it staying there to sow scruples of sins first and then give the intention and the courage to fall into them.

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Yet another reason appearing i n some ahZdlth is t h a t pictures a r e unnecessary embellishment of this world. Of course, in our time, pictures yield many benefits but thousands of crimes, including those that range between immodesty and pornography, also breed and flourish from these very pictures. I n short, it is not simply one reason alone t h a t was made basis for i t s prohibition, r a t h e r , t h e r e is a host of r e a s o n s why t h e SharFah of Islam has declared it prohibited to make and use pictures of the living. Now, if we were to suppose that there is some particular person in whom those causes are not found, then, from this stray incidence, the rule of the SharFah cannot change. According to a narration from Sayyidnii 'AbdullZh Ibn Mas'Tid & appearing in the ,Sahlh of al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet % has been reported to have said:

Of people the most affected by punishment on the Day of Judgment shall be the makers of pictures. has And i n some other narrations of Hadith, t h e Holy Prophet been reported to havk cursed the makers of pictures. Then, a narration from SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs & appearing in the two Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim reports that the Holy Prophet &! said: $

Every maker of pictures will be in the Jahannam This humble writer h a s put together detailed evidences concerning this issue from t h e narrations of Hadith a n d the practice of t h e early forbears of Islam i n his treatise entitled, At-taswir li-ahkam-it-taswir.

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Also included in it, there are answers to doubts entertained by people. If needed, please consult.

A photograph is also a picture
Some people argue that a photo is outside the definition of taswir or picture, because it is a shadow, or reflection, a s i t would appear i n mirror or water. So, they would argue, the way it is permissible to look a t your self in a mirror, in the same way, a photo picture is also permissible. But this argument is absolutely wrong, because a reflection or shadow is a reflection until i t has not been made to last through some device. Take the example of mirror or water. Your reflection in i t will be gone once you move away from it. If the reflection of this figure were to be made lasting through the use of some chemical process or device, this very thing will become a picture, the forbiddance and prohibition of which stands proved from ahZdith a p p e a r i n g i n a n u n i n t e r r u p t e d succession. A detailed discussion relating to the issue of photographs has also been included in my treatise on pictures referred to earlier. The next word: & (jifan, translated in the text a s 'basins') is the plural of: & (jafnab) which means a large dish-like pan or tub to hold (aljawab, translated above as ample supply of water, and the word: 1 'tanks') in: +I$$ (kaljawab) is t h e plural of: 4 ;(jabiyah). A small water tank is called: +4 (jabiyah). The sense is that they would make water-storing utensils so large a s would hold water equal to t h a t of a small tank. The first of the next two words: ,j$ (qudur, translated above as 'cook-wares') is the plural of: (qidr) which is spelt with t h e Kasrah \ of the letter: ~ L I(qaf). I t means a pot (to boil or cook. The last of the two words: a&\;(rasiyat, translated as 'fixed a t their place') refers to their state as being set where they were. The sense is t h a t they used to make these cauldrons so huge and heavy that they were virtually immovable and i t is also possible t h a t they would have made these cauldrons fixed on t h e ovens of solid rock, a n d therefore they were immovable i n t h a t respect. Early Tafs;r authority, DahhEk has given this very explanation of these words.

2 J-$g I$ $1; j'\! (DO good, o family of I $ ~n verse 13: ;&I DZwiid , in thankfulness. And few from My slaves are thankful." [34:13]), after having s t a t e d t h a t SayyidnZ DZwEd a n d SulaymZn were particularly blessed by Allah Ta'ZlZ, they and their family a n d children

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have been ordered to remain grateful.

The reality of Shukr (gratitude) and its injunctions According to Al-Qurtubi, the reality of shukr (gratitude) is that one admits that this blessing has been bestowed by such and such giver and then goes on to use it in consonance with the spirit of his pleasure and in obedience to him. Therefore, using t h e blessing bestowed by someone counter to his pleasure is ungratefulness a n d a virtual denial of t h a t blessing. This tells us that the way gratefulness can be in words, i t can also be expressed by acts. When expressed by acts, i t would mean the use of t h a t blessing i n accordance with t h e pleasure of t h e giver a n d i n obedience to him. Abu 'Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami has said that Salah is gratitude, fasting is gratitude, a n d every good deed is gratitude. And Muhammad Ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi says that gratitude is the name of piety and righteous conduct. (Ibn Kathir)
I n t h e verse u n d e r study, t h e noble Qur'Zn could have used t h e , comparatively brief expression &$I (ushkuruni: t h a n k Me), but the words used are $I I@! Perhaps this expression is adopted to release the hint that the gratitude expected from the House of DZwCd was gratitude in practice. (The translation in the text has taken care of this hint by saying, 'Do good.. ..I)
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This injunction was carried out so faithfully by SayyidnZ Diiwiid and SulaymZn and their families and children, both in word and deed, that no time passed in their homes when they did not have a n individual member of the family standing exclusively devoted to worship. In fact, specific time was allotted to all family members for this purpose. As a r e s u l t , t h e p r a y e r m a t of SayyidnZ DZwGd would not r e m a i n unoccupied a t any time by one or the other maker of prayer. (Ibn Kath?)

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According to HadTth in al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet said that the dearest prayer to Allah is that of DZwGd =I. He would sleep half of the night, stand in worship for one third of it, and then, sleep during the last one sixth. And the dearest fasts to Allah are the fasts of DZwGd -1, for he would fast on alternate days. (IbnKathir) I t h a s been reported from Fudayl >L dl -J t h a t following t h e he revelation of t h i s command of gratitude to SayyidnZ DZwiid submitted before Allah Ta'ElZ: '0 my Lord, how could I show my gratitude

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to You fully and sufficiently while my gratitude too, be i t oral or practical, is nothing b u t a blessing bestowed by You? On t h i s too, a s e p a r a t e ;; SY~ (Now, 0 DZwGd, gratitude becomes due.' Allah Ta'ZlZ said, >lG you did thank Me ). The reason was that he had realized his inability to thank Him a s was His due, and had made a confession to t h a t effect.

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Tirmidhl a n d Abu Bakr a l - J a ~ s Z ? report from SayyidnZ 'Ata' Ibn YasZr & t h a t w h e n t h i s verse: 1% ;I;; 31 (Do good, 0 family of came to the DZwGd , in thankfulness) was revealed, the Holy Prophet pulpit, recited this verse and then said, "There are three acts whoever accomplishes them would achieve the same excellence a s was bestowed on the House of DZwEd." The noble Sahabah asked: "ERasElallZh, what a r e those t h r e e acts?" He s a i d , "Staying firm on justice i n s t a t e s of pleasure a n d displeasure both; a n d taking t h e p a t h of moderation i n states of prosperity and adversity both; and fearing Allah both i n private and in public." (Qurtubi, Ahkam ul-Qurzn, al-JassZs) ' & ; 2 @;, soon after having I In the last sentence of verse 13: given the command for gratitude with special emphasis, the reality on ground was also pointed to by saying that 'And few from My slaves are thankful.' which is a n admonition for a believer, and a n incitement to observe gratitude.
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The word: (minsa'ah, translated in the text a s 'sceptre') in verse 14 dj;; (So, when We decided ( t h a t ) d e a t h beginning with: S$ & (should come) upon him, - 14) appears in the sense of staff or pole (as of purpose or authority). Some early commentators have said t h a t i t is a word taken from the Ethiopian language and denotes staff. Others have 6 said that it is a n Arabic word from: $ (nasa') which means move back, drive away, postpone. Since a staff or stick is used to remove things undesirable or harmful, therefore, it was called: iiG: 'minsa'ah,' that is, t h e device to remove. By describing t h e circumstances of SayyidnZ SulaymZnts u n u s u a l d e a t h , t h e text h a s opened a gateway of many lessons and gems of guidance.

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The strange event of the death of SayyidnZ SulaymZn
The elements of guidance embedded i n t h i s event a r e many. For was a ruler having such a n example, SayyidnZ SulaymZn unmatched state a t his command that ruled not simply over the world of

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his time, but over the Jinns and birds and the wind as well. Yet, despite all these assets a t his command, he too had no escape from death, and that it had to come only when the time was appointed for it to come. The 51 construction of Baytul-Maqdis s t a r t e d by SayyidnZ DZwEd $ 8 a n d completed by SayyidnZ SulaymZn @%I had part of it still unfinished. This construction job was entrusted with the Jinns. They were contumacious If they by nature but kept working in fear of SayyidnZ SulaymZn were to find out t h a t h e h a d died, they would have stopped working instantly and the structure would have been left incomplete. With the made appropriate arrangements leave of Allah, SayyidnZ SulaymZn to offset this situation. So, when came the time of his death, h e got ready for it and entered the mihrab (seat of authority in the palace) which was made of sparking transparent glass. His presence could be clearly seen from outside. As was his routine, he stood there in a stance of worship slightly supported by his scepter, so that, once his soul departs (when he dies), the body remains poised a t its place with the support of his staff. was taken away a t the appointed The soul of SayyidnZ SulaymZn hour, but he kept firmly reclining on his staff and from the outside it appeared a s if he was engrossed in worship. I n that state, Jinns would not d a r e come close a n d peek a t him. They k e p t working u n d e r t h e impression that SayyidnZ SulaymZn was alive. Thus passed a full year and when t h e remaining work on Baytul-Maqdis was complete, Allah Ta'ZlZ empowered the termite, (which is referred to by the Qur'Zn a s p , Y l ( d a b b a t u l - a r d : a c r e a t u r e of t h e e a r t h ) , to occupy t h e staff of SayyidnZ SulaymZn M I . The termite ate out the wood and weakened the staff. When the staff was gone, SayyidnZ SulaymZn fell down. That was the time when the Jinns came to know about his death.

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Allah Ta'ZlZ has given the Jinns the capability of traversing very long distances within moments. They used to be aware of many circumstances and events not known by human beings. When they would communicate this information to human beings, they took it to be news from the unseen s u r m i s i n g t h a t t h e J i n n s too possess t h e knowledge of t h e u n s e e n ('ilm-ul-ghaib). Moreover, the possibility that the Jinns themselves had a claim of possessing the knowledge of the unseen cannot be ruled out. But, this unusual incidence of death unfolded the reality of all that. The Jinns themselves found out - and human beings too - t h a t the Jinns are no

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possessors of the knowledge of the unseen. Because, had t h a t been the case and had they been aware of the workings of the unseen, they would have come to know about the death of SayyidnZ SulaymZn more than a year ago, and would have been spared of the hard labor they went on doing on t h e assumption t h a t h e was alive. This is w h a t h a s been stated in the last sentence of the verse:

So, when he fell down, the Jinns came to know that if they had the knowledge of the Unseen, they would not have stayed (so long) in the humiliating punishment. (34:14). Here, t h e expression: 31U ~ , , U I (al-'adhabil-muhin: humiliating , punishment) refers to the hard labor they had to do in completing the edifice of Baytul-Maqdis under the orders of SayyidnZ Sulaymiin -1. Part of this unusual event of the death of Sayyidnii SulaymZn has been mentioned in this very verse of the Qur'Zn while its details have been reported from s e v e r a l Tafsir a u t h o r i t i e s , including SayyidnZ 'AbdullZh Ibn 'AbbZs &, a n d a r e t h e r e i n Ibn Kathir a n d a l l other Tafsirs.

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From this unusual event, we also learn the essential lesson that there is no escape from death for anyone and also that Allah Ta'ZlZ can, when He decides to have someone do something, arrange to have it done the way He wills. This is exactly as it happened during the course of this event w h e n SayyidnZ SulaymZn was k e p t , d e s p i t e h i s d e a t h , standing a t his place a n d t h e J i n n s were made to complete t h e work assigned to them. This event also shows that all causes and instruments of the whole world keep fulfilling their function until such time a s Allah would let them do so. When He would not let them do so, causes and instruments fail, like the support of the staff here t h a t was terminated t h r o u g h t h e t e r m i t e . Moreover, soon a f t e r t h e d e a t h of SayyidnZ SulaymZn a \ , t h e r e existed t h e danger t h a t people, who notice t h e astonishing performance of the Jinns and come across their apparently unbelievable access to things unseen, might take them a s their objects of worship. T h i s d a n g e r w a s also eliminated by t h i s e v e n t of d e a t h . Everyone came to know that the Jinns were really unaware and helpless in this matter.

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From this submission, it becomes clear that SayyidnZ SulaymZn had adopted this particular mode a t the time of his death for two reasons: (I) That the remaining work on the construction of Baytul-Maqdis gets to be completed. (2) That people find out the truth about the Jinns, realize that they were really unaware and helpless, and thus there remains no danger of J i n n s being taken by them a s objects of veneration a n d worship. (Qurtubi) According to a narration of Sayyidn5 'AbdullZh Ibn 'Amr &reported by Imam Nasa'i with sound chains of authority, the Holy Prophet @ said, "When Sulaymiin %&\ accomplished the building of Baytul-Maqdis, he made some prayers t h a t were answered. One of these was: 0 Allah, whoever enters this rnasjid with the sole intention of making Salah (and having no other worldly motive), purify him before he goes out of this masjid, from all his sins (making him) as pure as he was when born from the womb of his mother." And in t h e narration of Suddiyy, i t also appears t h a t soon after Sayyidn5 SulaymZn w a s f i n i s h e d w i t h t h e b u i l d i n g of Baytul-Maqdis, h e sacrificed twelve thousand cows a n d heifers a n d twenty thousand goats as a token of thanksgiving and declared the feast open to all. Celebrating the day as a day of rejoicing, he stood on the Sakhrah of Baytul-Maqdis praying: 0 Allah, it is You who bestowed this power, and all these resources, on me by virtue of which the edifice of Baytul-Maqdis reached its completion. Now, also give me the ability to thank you for this blessing; and give me death while adhering to the faith you chose for me; and once you have given me right guidance, let there come no crookedness or deviation in it." And he further supplicated, " 0 my Lord, for a person who enters this masjid, I ask you of five things:

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(1)Accept the repentanceof a sinner who enters this masjid to confess and repent, and forgive his sins. (2) Guarantee peace for a person who enters this masjid to remain safe from fear and danger, and deliver him from all dangers.

(3) Heal the sick person who enters this masjid.
(4) Make the poor person who enters here need-free.

remains here - except a person who is busy doing something unjust or faithless. (Qurtubi) This Hadith tells u s t h a t t h e work of building Baytul-Maqdis was already completed during the lifetime of Sayyidnii SulaymZn &?dl.But, the event mentioned above is really not contrary to the possibility that there remained some construction work left out even after the completion of the main building, a s is usually done in the case of such huge projects. May be, SayyidnZ SulaymZn &%Ihad devised the plan mentioned above for the completion of the remaining work. I t has also been reported from SayyidnE 'AbdullZh Ibn 'AbbZs & that SayyidnZ SulaymZn &%\ kept standing for a year supported by his staff, even after his death. (Qurtubi) And according to some narrations, when the Jinns found out t h a t a long time had passed since the death of SayyidnZ Sulaymiin while they had remained i n the dark all along, they tried to determine the time of his death, and for that purpose, they went for a n experiment. They released a termite on a piece of wood. T h u s , from whatever of the wood was eaten by the termite in one day and night, they calculated that a year had passed over the staff of SayyidnZ SulaymZn in that state.

Special Note Citing historians, al-Baghawi has said that SayyidnE Sulaymiin lived for fifty- three years and ruled for forty years. He had succeeded to t h e t h r o n e a t t h e a g e of t h i r t e e n y e a r s a n d h a d s t a r t e d building Baytul-Maqdis in the fourth year of his reign. (Mazhari,Qurtubi) Verses 15 - 19

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There was indeed a sign for (the community of) Saba' in their home-land: two gardens, on the right and on the left." E a t of t h e provision from your Lord, a n d be g r a t e f u l t o Him-- (You h a v e ) a good c i t y , a n d a Most-Forgiving Lord." [15] Then they turned away. So We released over them the flood of the dam, and replaced t h e i r two gardens with two gardens having fruits of bitter taste, and tamarisk and some of the lot-trees. [I61 T h u s We p u n i s h e d t h e m b e c a u s e o f t h e i r ungratefulness. And We do not give (such a) punishment but to the ungrateful. [17] And We had made towns to be seen between them and between the towns in which We h a d placed O u r blessings, a n d h a d m e a s u r e d t h e journey between them: " Travel along them a t nights a n d days peacefully." [18] Then they said," Our Lord, make (the phases of) our journeys more distant." And they wronged themselves, therefore We t u r n e d t h e m into stories and tore them into pieces. Surely in this, there are signs for everyone who is ever- patient, fully grateful. [19] Commentary I n p r e v i o u s v e r s e s , w a r n i n g w a s given t o t h o s e w h o d e n i e d prophethood a n d t h e Day of Judgment a n d failed to realize t h a t t h e power of Allah Ta'GlZ was most perfect. Reference was t h e n made to miracles shown a t the hands of past prophets and mention was made of t h e events relating to Sayyidna Dawiid a n d Sayyidna SulaymZn $&I. Now t h e text mentions t h e limitless blessings bestowed on t h e people of Saba' who were later punished because of their ungratefulness. The people of Saba' a n d t h e particular blessings of Allah u p o n them Ibn KathTr has said that Saba' is the title of the kings and citizens of Yemen. Tababi'ah (plural of tubba') who ruled this country were these very people of Saba', and Queen BilquTs who has been mentioned along

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with SayyidnZ SulaymZn in Siirah An-Naml was also from among these people. Allah Ta'alZ had opened the doors of His blessing on them providing their state with all conceivable comforts. Against these blessings they were asked to believe in one God and obey His commandments and thus be grateful for blessings bestowed on them. For a certain period of time, these people stayed straight with their mandate and kept enjoying ease and comforts. Then came the time when they became so engrossed in the good things of life they were blessed with that they started touching the limits of negligence, even denial. Then Allah Ta'ZlZ sent thirteen of His prophets to warn them. They did their best to admonish them and bring them round to the straight path. But, these people kept persisting with their attitude of negligence. Then came the consequence. A flood was sent over them, a punishment that devastated their once flourishing city of gardens. (Reported by Muhammad Ibn Ishaq - Ibn KathTr) Imam Ahmad reports from Sayyidna Ibn 'AbbZs & t h a t someone asked t h e Holy Prophet if Saba' mentioned i n t h e Qur'Zn was the name of a man, woman or some country. The Holy Prophet @ said: This is the name of a man who had ten sons among his progeny. Out of these, six remained settled i n Yemen and four migrated to Syria. The names of those who lived in Yemen were: Mudhhij, Kindah, Azd, Ash'ari, Anmar, Himyar (from the progeny of these six sons, there came to be six tribes known by those very names). And the names of those who settled in Syria are: Lakham, Judham, 'Amilah, Ghassan (tribes coming in their lines were known by the same names). This n a r r a t i o n h a s also been reported by H a f i ~ I m a m I b n ; 'Abd-ul-Barr i n his book, al-Qasd wa al-Amam bi Ma'arifati Ansab-il'Arab wa-1-'Ajam. According to I b n Kathir's research with reference to scholars of genealogy, these ten sons were not directly from the loins of Saba', rather, they were born in the third or fourth generation of Saba'. After that, their tribes spread out in Syria and Yemen and got to be known by their very n a m e s . A n d t h e r e a l n a m e of S a b a ' w a s ' A b d - u s h - S h a m s . H i s genealogical tree becomes established by the name Saba' 'Abd Shams son of Yashhab son of Ya'rub son of Qahtan. Historians write t h a t Saba' 'Abd Shams had, during this time, given the glad tidings of the coming of the Last Prophet, SayyidnZ Muhammad al-Mustafa B.I t is possible t h a t he

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came to know about it from early books of the Torah and Injil, or from astrologers or soothsayers. He has also composed some lines of poetry in Arabic in which he has mentioned his coming and wished to have been during his time and been of some help to him. Then, he has also exhorted his people to believe in him and support him. As for the statement of the Hadith quoted above in which it is said t h a t out of t h e t e n sons of Saba', six settled i n Yemen a n d four went towards Syria, t h i s event relates to t h e time after t h e coming of t h e punishment of flood against them which means t h a t these people h a d scattered towards different directions and cities a t the time the flood came. (Ibn Kathyr) Quoting Qushairi, al-Qurtubi has reported t h a t the period of the people of Saba' is after Sayyidnii 'IsZ &&I and before the coming of the Holy Prtophet B,and thus it falls in the period known as: di; (fatrah or gap).

flood of the dam - 16) carries several recognized meanings in terms of Arabic lexical usage and the scholars of tafsir have explained this verse in terms of every such meaning. But, the meaning more in consonance with the context of the Qur'an is the one that appears in the Arabic lexicons like QZmGs, Slhah of Jawhari and others, that is, 'arim' means a dam that is made to block water. SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbiis & has also given the meaning of 'arim a s dam. (Qurtubl)

The 'flood of the dam' (say1 al-'arim) and the Dam of Ma'arib (the sadd of Ma'arib) (So We sent to them the The word: ? j('arim) in: & ,&$

The episode regarding the 'flood of the dam' referred.to i n this verse, according to the statement of Ibn Kathir, is that in the country of Yemen, three miles away from its capital, San'a', there was a city by the name of Ma'rib settled i n which the people of Saba' used to live. The city was located i n between two mounhains. Water from rains used to come from t h e two m o u n t a i n s , leaving t h e city i n u n d a t e d . T h e city h a d t h e reputation of being a target of such deluges. Rulers of the city (of those, Queen Bilquis h a s been mentioned particularly) built a s t r o n g a n d fortified dam between these two mountains, a dam t h a t would remain unaffected by the flow of water. This dam stopped the serial surges of flooded water that entered from the two mountains and turned the place into a great big storage of water. Even the water from rains falling on the

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mountains started flowing i n there. Provided inside this dam, there were three gates a t appropriate levels , so that this storage of water could be released systematically for people of the city to irrigate their farms and gardens. To accomplish this objective, they would first open the topmost gate and use water as needed. When no water remained a t t h a t level, they would open the gate in the middle and after that came the turn of the third and last gate until came the time of rains next year, and the whole dam would stand filled to the brim all over again. Then, engineered a n d built under t h e dam, t h e r e was a huge big t a n k i n which twelve outlets of water were provided to supply water to twelve canals serving different parts of the city with water flowing in all canals uniformly and was used to take care of various needs of the city. (Mazhari) The slopes of the two mountains to the right and left of the city were landscaped with rows of gardens fed by canals of water. These gardens stood adjacent to each other in two continuous rows by the slopes of the mountains. Though many in number, but the Qur'Zn identified them as: aG (jannatan:Two gardens) because it has taken all the gardens in one row to be one due to their proximity, and then all the gardens on the other side a s the other garden. T r e e s a n d f r u i t s of a l l s o r t s u s e d to grow i n t h e s e g a r d e n s so a b u n d a n t l y t h a t , according t o t h e s t a t e m e n t of t h e l e a d i n g e a r l y authority, Qatadah, a n d others, a woman would walk with a n empty basket perched on her head, and it would automatically get filled with fruits falling off from the trees without the least need to make use of her hands. (Ibn KathTr) The second sentence of verse 15: J+ u , ib iiL ' \J+\j $ ~ 4 ; \$ (Eat of the provision from your Lord, and be grateful to Him-- (You have) a good city, and a Most-Forgiving Lord - 34:15) means that Allah Ta'ZlZ had ordered them through His prophets that they should make use of their extended means of livelihood provided by Allah Ta'ZlZ and continue to be grateful to Him through their good deeds and unfailing obedience to Divine injunctions, for He had made that city of theirs a really good city. I t h a d a moderate climate without any extremes of h e a t or chill, so healthy, clean and bracing - to the extent that there was no trace of any h u r t i n g life forms like mosquitoes, flies, fleas, s n a k e s a n d scorpions anywhere throughout the city. I n fact, when travelers from outside would
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reach the city - having lice or other harmful parasites i n their clothes these would die off naturally as soon as they arrived there (IbnKathir)
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At the end of the verse (15), by adding: +& i$ (a good city) along with . 3 , J;PE +J (a Most Forgiving Lord), reference to divine blessings has been m a d e a l l t h e more perfect by suggesting t h a t ' t h i s good life i s not restricted to t h e life of t h e present world, i n fact, should you remain consistent with your gratefulness, t h e promise of g r e a t e r a n d more everlasting blessings of t h e Hereafter also holds good. T h e reason is simple. He is the creator and master-dispenser of all blessings and the one who s u s t a i n s you - a n d s h o u l d you, a t o n e o r t h e o t h e r t i m e , inadvertently fail to be grateful or betray by negligence or shortcoming, All~h Ta'ZlZ is a great forgiver too and will forgive your shortcomings.' I n verse 16, it was said: L J L l>pb (Then they turned & away. So We released over them the flood of the dam). I n other words, 'when the people of Saba' flouted the commandments of Allah through their contumacy and rebellion, despite having such blessings and despite having been warned by the noble prophets, We released a flood from the dam over them.' We already know that 'arim means a dam. This flood was attributed to 'arim for the reason that this very 'arim, a source of security and prosperity, was transformed by Allah Ta'ZlE into a source of calamity for them. According to an account of the event given by SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs &5, Wahb Ibn Munnabih, QatZdah, D a h h a k a n d other early Tafsir authorities, when Allah Ta'ElZ decided to undo the dam of Ma'rib ('arim) and punish and destroy these people through a flood, blind rats were set upon this great dam, who weakened its foundation and made it hollow. When came t h e time of rains a n d t h e flooding of w a t e r , t h e pressure of w a t e r broke through t h e already weakened foundation creating gaps a n d crevices i n t h e dam. Ultimately, t h e water collected behind the dam r a n over the entire valley in which this city of Ma'rib was located. Houses collapsed. Trees were uprooted. The water feeding t h e twin rows of gardens by the mountain slopes was dried up. I t appears in the report of Wahb Ibn Munabbih that it was already predicted i n t h e books of these people t h a t r a t s will destroy t h i s dam. When people saw rats near the dam, they were alerted by the danger. As a defensive measure, a large number of cats were released under the dam in the hope that they would stop the rats from coming close to the dam.
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But, when came the divine decree, the rats overcame the cats and entered into the foundation of the dam. Then there are historical narratives that also say that a s soon a s some smart and far-sighted people saw the rats, they decided to leave the place a n d move to s o m e w h e r e else. I n f a c t , t h e y m a d e t h e n e c e s s a r y arrangements and got out of there one by one. Others stayed. But, once came the flood, they too shifted. However, there were many who were swallowed by t h e flood. I n short, t h e whole city was destroyed. Some details about residents of the city who had migrated to towns i n other countries h a v e been given i n t h e H a d i t h of t h e M u s n a d of Ahmad appearing earlier. Six of their tribes were scattered i n Yemen, four in Syria and some of these very tribes came to be the forerunners ol" the larger population of Madinah-at-Taiyyibah. Related details appear i n books of history. What happened to the twin rows of gardens after the coming of flood a n d t h e destruction of t h e city? This h a s been s t a t e d i n t h e second ,,,: >,s, , >,s, >,>,Z,, sentence of verse 16 as: &$ , , $2,; & : $ >Ij> ,+-ge=- , Cgi-+, , (and replaced their two gardens with two gardens having fruits of bitter taste, and Tamarisk and some of the lot-trees), that is, their trees that yielded fruit having good t a s t e were replaced by trees t h a t bore fruit & l (Khamt), most commentators having a n evil taste. As for the word: . t a k e i t t o m e a n t h e a r a k (a p u n g e n t , t h o r n y d e s e r t t r e e ) . T h e lexicographer, Jawhari says that there is a kind of arak which bears some fruit and which is eaten. But, the fruit that grew on this tree was bad in taste. And 'Abu 'Ubaidah & said that every tree that is thorny and of bitter taste is called: (khamt). The next word: $ (athl) means a kind of tree t h a t is also known i n Arabic a s : clj+ (turfa') according to t h e majority of commentators and both are generally equated with tamarisk in English. No fruit it bears is worth eating. Some commentators said that 'athl' in the sense of samr (Mimosa, Egyptian thorn) or babul or kikar, (Acacia Arabica found i n the sub-continent) is a thorny tree t h e fruit of which is fed to goats.

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kind is wild and grows in the form of thorny shrubs and trees with more thorns and less fruits that are bitter as well. At this place, the use of the word: &L (qalil: little, some) along with (sidr: bair or lote) p e r h a p s indicates t h a t this too was wild which bears less fruit and is bitter. Allah knows best. The next verse: G $j- A,; (Thus We punished them because of their ungratefulness.- 34:17) means that they were punished because they committed kufr. Kufr has two meanings. It could mean ungratefulness a n d i t could m e a n t h e d e n i a l of t h e t r u e f a i t h . A t t h i s place, both meanings can be applied because they did both. They were ungrateful and they rejected the thirteen prophets sent to them.

Special Note There are two things here that are likely to raise a question. I t has been said earlier t h a t Allah TaLZIZhad s e n t thirteen prophets to t h e people of Saba'. T h e n , i t h a s also been s t a t e d above t h a t t h e event relating to these people and the flood of 'arim or dam transpired during t h e i n t e r i m period a f t e r Sayyidnii %a @&I a n d before SayyidnZ Muhammad al-Mustafa $& called the period of fatrah or gap. During this period, according to the majority of Muslim scholars, simply no prophet was sent which is the reason why it is called the period of fatrah or gap. If so, the question is, how can the coming of these thirteen prophets be held as correct? An answer to this appears in RGh ul-Ma'ani. There it is said that from the event of the flood of the dam ('arim) being i n the period of fatrah or gap, it does not become necessary that these prophets too came during that very period. It is possible that the coming of the prophets to these people dates back prior to the period of fatrah or gap while their contumacy and hostility to faith may have increased during the period of fatrah whereupon the punishment of the flood from the dam was sent upon them in the period of fatrah. Allah knows best.
The word: , (hafur) in the second sentence of verse 17: '$ &-+ $ 38, (And We do not give (such a) punishment but to the ungrateful 34:17) is a n emphatic form of: jk (kafir) which means one who is very ungrateful or is a n absolute disbeliever. As such, the verse could be taken to mean: 'We do not punish anyone other t h a n t h e one who is very ungrateful or is a n absolute disbeliever.' This, quite obviously, is counter to all those verses of the Qur'Zn and sound ahEdTth which prove that
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Muslim sinners will also receive the punishment of Jahannam (Hell) to the measure of their deed - even though, finally, once they have gone through t h e i r p u n i s h m e n t , they will be t a k e n out of t h e J a h a n n a m or because of their ' j m ~ n faith and admitted into J a n n a h (Paradise). To resolve this difficulty, i t has been said that it does not signify punishment in some absolute sense, instead, it means a mass punishment a s was sent over t h e people of Saba'. This one is particular to disbelievers. Such punishment does not befall Muslim sinners. (R@ ul-MaZnT) This finds support in the saying of a Ta'bai Ibn Khiyarah. He said,;ly'
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(The punishment of sin is that the sinning person becomes sluggish in acts of worship ('ibadah) his economic conditions becomes straitened, and enjoyment (itself) becomes hard to bear ...' Ibn Khiyarah explained the l a t t e r p a r t of his s t a t e m e n t by saying, 'When one is blessed with something hala1 he can enjoy, there comes one or the other reason which spoils this enjoyment'. (Ibn Kathir) This tells us that the punishments given to Muslim sinners a r e of t h i s nature. No open punishment h i t s them either from the heavens or from beneath the earth. That is particular to disbelievers.
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And sage Hasan al-Baqri said: ,WIY! J&,~ G -, &*P('Great , Y is Allah and He said it right: The punishment of a n evil deed exactly in proportion to i t is not given to anyone but t h e k a f u r ' - someone very ungrateful or absolutely disbelieving). (Ibn K a t h l r ) T h i s is because a believer, who is no kafur, receives some concession with respect to his or her sins a s well.
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An interpretation of the sense of this verse appears in RGh-ul-Ma'Zni with reference to Kashf. There it is said that the statement is made in its real sense. Punishment a s punishment is given only to a disbeliever and whatever pain is caused to a believing sinner through things like fire is only a n apparent punishment. I n reality, the purpose is to cleanse him from sin. This i s like heating up gold i n a furnace. The purpose is to remove its unwanted sediments. This holds true in the case of a believer as well. If he too is put in Jahannam a s a consequence of some sin of his, it will be to burn out those elements of his body that have grown on him from consuming what is haram. Once this is taken care of, he is ready to go to J a n n a h a n d i t does not t a k e much time t h a t h e is t a k e n out of

In verse 18, it was said: % LJ&j G d G$ G 621 ++ 1L;-j @j . . . . .21 We had made towns to be seen between them and between (And the towns in which We had placed Our blessings, and had measured the journey between them: "Travel along them a t nights and days peacefully. - 18") This verse mentions yet another blessing Allah Ta'iilZ had bestowed on the people of Saba'. Then it goes on to refer to the ungratefulness of those people who acted ignorantly and chose to ask for a reversal of this blessing by praying that the thing be made harder and more challenging 2 b$ (towns in which We had placed for them. The statement: % 3 Our blessings) in this verse probably means the rural areas of the country of Syria, because the reference to the descent of mercy in several verses of the Qur'Zn is specifically related to that country. The sense of the verse is that Allah Ta'Zl5 had made their travels to the towns of Syria very easy for them during their trips they had to undertake for their business. Given the conditions that prevailed in the world of that time, the travel distance between the city of Ma'arib and the country of Syria was fairly long with routes being uneven. In view of this difficulty, Allah Ta'ZlZ had blessed the people of Saba' by having made for their convenience a series of towns a t intermittent distances all the way from the city of Ma'arib to the country of Syria.

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These habitations were close by the main road, therefore, these were called: 2 Q < (had measured t h e journey between them). These 1 % ; habitations appearing one after the other were a source of convenience for weary travelers. If a traveler from one of t h e m left home i n t h e morning, he had the choice of reaching some other town on his way, stop there, have lunch or take rest as he wished and could leave after Zuhr and reach the next stage by sundown and spend the night there. The $, &jI>> ' (Travel along t h e m a t nights a n d days sentence: $1 peacefuly - 18) means that these habitations were made a t distances that were balanced and equal so that they would reach from one to the other within a fixed time. In the last sentence of verse 18: (Travel along them a t nights and days peacefully.), mention has been made of a third blessing bestowed on the people of Saba'. I t means t h a t these settlements were located a t such equal and balanced distances that a traveler would be able to cover them

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in almost identical time. Then the routes were secure. Theft a n d highway robbery were unknown. One could travel a t any time of the night or day without any hesitation or concern. , , ;I' .: Verse 19 opens with the statement: 1 ;. 2 i; i; I$G Gij 6,Li ; a,, G' >,,:a,, , , ,,,, , (Then they said," Our Lord, make (the phases j .JX v j . 3 p of) our journeys more distant." And they wronged themselves, therefore We turned them into stories and tore them into pieces - 34:19). I t means t h a t so unjust were these people t h a t they would go to t h e extent of dismissing t h e very blessing of Allah placed t h e r e t o e l i m i n a t e t h e hardships of travel, rather went deeper into their lack of recognition and straight ungratefulness by coming forward to pray that their Lord makes the distances they cover in travel longer - hoping that the habitations do not appear a t such close distances, and wishing to see some hard areas of a forest or wilderness which ask for some rough traversing a s well. Their case was similar to that of the Bani Isra'il. They used to get the excellent sustenance of mann and salwa, all free of cost. Bored with it, they asked Allah to replace i t w i t h vegetables a n d greens. I n r e t u r n for t h e i r ungratefulness and lack of recognition for blessings, Allah Ta'Zl5 released the punishment on them that has been called the flood of the dam earlier. The ultimate consequence of this very punishment has been stated in this verse in strong words, that is, they were virtually expunged from this world leaving nothing but idle tales of their wealth and luxury.
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The word: ,.+y (rnazzaqnahurn) is a derivation from: $$ (tamziq) which means to tear and scatter (a people) or to destroy (a kingdom). The sense is that some of the inhabitants of this city of Ma'arib were destroyed on the spot and some others were scattered in a manner t h a t small groups of them spread out to various countries. This destruction and scattering away of t h e people of Saba' became proverbial i n Arabia. O n such that is, these people got occasions, there is a n Arab idiom: 61. scattered away a s were the luxury-laden people of the Saba'.

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Ibn Kathir and other commentators have reported a long narrative about a soothsayer who h a d come to know about t h e coming of t h e punishment of the flood a little before it actually did. He made a swift and unique plan. First of all, h e sold his entire property. When h e had the money i n h i s h a n d s , h e told h i s people about t h e coming flood a n d exhorted them to get out of the area immediately. He also told them that

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those who intend to shift to a safe far-away place should go to 'Amman, and those who have a taste for liquor, pita bread and fruits should move to Busra in the country of Syria, and those who would settle for rides that go through m u d , come h a n d y during t h e time of f a m i n e a n d prove efficient when dashing on a journey, should go to Yathrib (Madinah) which abounds in dates. His people followed his advice. The tribe of Azd went towards 'Amman, the Ghassan to Busra in the country of Syria and the Aws and Khazraj and BanE 'UthmZn started off in the direction of Yathrib, t h e home of d a t e palms. After reaching B a t n M u r r , BanG ' U t h m a n l i k e d t h e place a n d s e t t l e d r i g h t t h e r e . B e c a u s e of t h i s divergence, BanG 'UthmZn were given the title of Khuza'ah. Batn Murr is closer to Makkah al-Mukarramah where they had chosen to settle down. As for Aws and Khazraj, they reached Yathrib and stayed there. After the long narrative in Ibn Kathlr, the same detail about people scattering to different places has been reported on the authority of Sa'id from Qatadah from al-Sha'bi. T h u s , s a y s I b n K a t h l r , t h e s e people of S a b a ' were s,, shredded into pieces, people who have been mentioned in: j~ $ GG> (We torn them into pieces).
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?Ilb c ; &~ 2 S! The concluding statement in verse 19: , L (Surely in this, there are signs for everyone who is ever- patient, fully grateful - 34:19) means that there is a great sign and lesson in the rise and fall and in the radical change that hit the life cycle of the people of Saba' for a person who is enduring and grateful a t its best, t h a t is, when faced with some distress or pain, one observes patience over it, and when blessed with things of comfort, one is readily grateful for it. This is a life style in which one always comes out a winner. No matter what the state of his life is, he ends up in nothing but pluses, profits and gains. So says a H a d i t h of SayyidnZ Abii H u r a i r a h & a p p e a r i n g i n t h e S a h i h of al-Bukhari and Muslim where the Holy Prophet has been reported to have said:
'Certainly unique is the state of life a true believer is always in. No matter what Allah decrees for him, i t turns for him into nothing but good and profitable. If he is blessed in one way or the other or has the desire of his h e a r t fulfilled, h e t h a n k s Allah for i t a n d i t becomes good a n d beneficial for him in the Hereaft.er. And if he suffers from some pain or distress, he bears it with considered patience for which he is rewarded in a

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big way and thus, this suffering too, becomes good and beneficial for him' - from Ibn Kathir. Some commentators have taken the word: , (Sabbar: very patient) & in the general sense of sabr or patience - which includes remaining firm in all acts requiring obedience a s well a s abstaining from sins. I n the light of this tafsir or explanation, a t r u e believer remains comprehensively attuned to Sabr (patience) and shukr (gratitude) under all conditions and then, for that matter, every sabr is shukr and every shukr is sabr. Allah knows best.
Verses 20 - 21

And IblTs has found his assessment true about them. So they followed him, except a group of the believers. [20] And he did not have any power over them, but for the reason that We should know the one who believes in the Hereafter a s distinct from t h e one who is i n d o u b t about it. And your Lord is Watchful over every thing. And he did not have any power over them, but for the reason that We should know the one who believes in the Hereafter a s distinct from t h e one who is i n d o u b t about it. And your Lord is Watchful over every thing.
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Verses 22 - 27

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Say." Call upon those whom you claim (to be your gods) beside Allah. They do not possess (any thing) even to the measure of a particle, neither in the heavens nor in the earth. They have no contribution a t all in either of the two, and He (Allah) has no helper from among them. [22] And intercession before Him is of no benefit, but for the one whom He has permitted. (And those who will ask for intercession will remain fearful) Until when fear is removed from their hearts, they will say (to each other), "What did your Lord say?" They say, "the Truth". And He is the High, the Great. [23] Say, 'Who gives you sustenance from t h e heavens and t h e earth?" Say, " Allah. And We or you are either on the right path or in open error." [24] Say, 'You will not be asked about the sins we committed, and we will not be asked about what you do. [25] Say, " Our Lord will assemble us together, then will judge between us with truth. And He is the best Judge, the All-Knowing. [26] Say, "Show me t h e o n e s whom you have associated w i t h Him a s partners. Never! He is but Allah, the Mighty, the Wise." ~ 7 1 Commentary These verses are meant to prove the falsity of three different types of idol-worshippers. The first group among them, and the most absurd of all, was of the people who believed that these idols, made of stones are the partners of Allah and His associates in all His powers. The beginning part of the verse 22 refutes their presumption by saying, "They do not possess (any thing) even to the measure of a particle...". The second group of them used to believe that these idols are the helpers of Allah in managing affairs of the universe. The last part of Verse 22 deals with this group by saying, "And He (Allah) has no helper from among them." There was a third group of people who did not hold the idols as gods or helpers of god, but they maintained t h a t these idols are so close to Allah t h a t their

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intercession is always approved by Him, and whoever has the advantage of their intercession, his desires may well be fulfilled. Verse 23 has refuted this belief by saying, "And intercession before Him is of no benefit, but for the one whom He has permitted." The sense is that their assumption that idols are close to Allah is not correct.They are neither close to Allah, nor do they have any power of intercession before Him. Then the text clarifies t h a t even angels who a r e close to Allah cannot intercede for anyone without Allah's permission, and even if they are allowed to intercede, it is not easy for them to do that, because of Allah's awe they have in their hearts. The usual way in which they receive a command from Allah is that they become nervous , due to Allah's awe, when they receive it. Then once they return to their normal condition, they ask each other about the command to ensure its correct nature. This is the sense of the later part of Verse 23 where it is said, "Until when fear is removed from their hearts, they will say (to each other), "What did your Lord say?" They say, "the Truth". As for angels becoming nervous out of awe referred to i n verse 22, its full description is given i n a report from SayyidnZ AbE H u r a i r a h & appearing in the Sahih of al-Bukhari. Says the relevant part of the long Hadith report: When a command from Allah Ta'ZlZ issues forth through t h e heavens, a l l angels s t a r t flapping t h e i r wings i n h u m i l i t y a n d emotional readiness to obey (as if dazed or benumbed of consciousness). When t h a t effect of nervousness, awe a n d majesty recedes from their hearts, they say: 'What did your Lord say?' Others tell them t h a t He has spoken the t r u t h and that such and such command has come from Him. And it appears in the Sahih of Muslim that SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs & said, 'When our Rabb, reports from some Sahabi that the Holy Prophet may His n a m e be exalted, gives a command, t h e angels holding t h e Divine Throne start reciting tasbih (saying glory) for Him. Hearing the tasbih done by them, angels of the next lower level of the heavens follow suit until this chain of glorification reaches the lowest level t h a t is the firmament of t h e world (making i t a simultaneously recited tasbih by angels from all heavens). Then, they ask the angels who are close to the Throne, 'What did your Lord say?' This they tell them. Then, i n the same manner, those of t h e lower heavens ask those of t h e upper t h e s a m e
[I] This part is abridged from Khulasa-e-tafsir.('Uthm?in;)

Consideration of the psychology of the addressee in debates and avoidance of any approach that may provoke violent attitude In verse 24: & Gj;. ';il;&!Jl (And We or you are either on $ "3 ' t h e right p a t h or i n open error - 34:24), t h i s a d d r e s s is beamed a t polytheists and disbelievers. In their case, what was needed was already done. That Allah Ta'ZlZ was the creator, the master, and all-powerful in the absolute sense was proved decisively and explicitly. That idols and e v e r y t h i n g e l s e o t h e r t h a n Allah w a s w e a k a n d h e l p l e s s w a s demonstrated clearly. After having done all this, the occasion demanded that Mushriks are told in clear terms that they were ignorant and astray in bypassing Allah a n d electing to worship idols a n d satans. But, the noble Qur'Zn has opted for a wonderfully wise form of address, something that should serve as a guidance for all those who are engaged in the mission of da'wah and tabligh or in debates against opponents of Islam a n d votaries of t h e false. I t will be noticed t h a t t h e disbelieving adversaries addressed i n this verse were not called kafirs, infidels, disbelievers or the ones gone astray. Rather, a change was introduced in the mode and content of the address. The arguments a n d proofs were already clear. In their presence, no sensible person could say that tauhid (Oneness of Allah or pure monotheism) a n d shirk (the attribution of partners in the pristine divinity of Allah) are equally true and that the adherents of both are following the truth. Instead of that, it is certain that one of these two is following the path of truth while the other is in error. Now, it is up to you. You think and you decide as to who is on the side of truth. Is it we or is it you? Had the addressee been called a disbeliever or someone who had gone off the track of truth, it could have made him angry. This approach was avoided. In its place, the approach was kept so affectionate a n d disarming t h a t it would make even t h e most diehard adversary left with no choice but to consider what was being proposed

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This method of prophetic call, good counsel a n d good-mannered > ,' debate - in line with the command of the Qur'an: l s j, ,,+&ij(wa . jadilhum bil-lati hiya ahsan: (and argue with them in the best manners 16:125) - is something 'Ulama' should keep in sight all the time. Once this
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stands ignored, everything done in the fair name of da'wah, tabligh and debate becomes ineffective, rather harmful. As a result, adversaries turn adamant and cling to their error far more firmly.
Verse 28

And We did not send you (0 prophet,) but to the entire mankind, as a bearer of good news and as a Warner, but most people do not know. [28] Commentary That Allah is One and that His power is absolute was the subject in previous verses. I n the present verse, it is being said t h a t the Holy Prophet $& was sent as the Messenger of Allah to all peoples of the world who are there now or will come in the future.

The word: 2 (Kaaffah) in: &l;L!iiK (Kaaffatal-lin-naas: for all 3 peoples) is used in the sense of making something universal and inclusive of all without t h e exclusion of anyone from i t . The grammatical arrangement of the text required sayingd$ (lin-naasi kaaffatan: for the people as a whole) because the word: 6 3 (kaaffah: all) is grammatically a ha1 (adverb) relatable to the word (naas: people). But, in order to put a clear accent on the universality of the mission of the Last R a s i l of Allah, the word: Z? (Kaaffah: all) was set to come earlier. I

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The mission of a messenger or prophet assigned to all prophets sent before the Holy Prophet $& was restricted to some particular people and particular geographical area. I t is the peculiarity of t h e SayyidnZ Muhammad al-Mustafa $$$ that his prophetic mission is common and open to all peoples of the world. In fact, it is not simply for human beings, but is so for the Jinns as well. And then, it is not just for those who were present during his blessed time, but is universally applicable to all human generations to come right up to the last day of QiyZmah. And this very fact of t h e continuity a n d survival of his mission a s prophet and messenger demands that he has to be the Last and Final of the prophets and that no prophet is to come after his appearance. The reason is that

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another prophet is sent when the law and teachings of the one before him a r e distorted or altered. Thus, a second prophet is s e n t to reform t h e people a n d r e i n s t a t e t h e m according to Allah's pleasure. As for t h e S h a r l a h of the Holy Prophet & and that of His own Book, the Qur'Zn, $ ! right through the last day of QiyZmah, the responsibility of its protection has already been undertaken by Allah Ta'ZlZ Himself. Therefore, it will hold on and survive till QiyZmah in its original state and there would be no need for some other prophet to be sent. appearing i n t h e According to a n a r r a t i o n of Sayyidna J a b i r has SahIhs of al-Bukhari and Muslim and elsewhere, the Holy Prophet been reported to have said: 'I have been given five things that have not been given to anyone else before me: (1) That Allah Ta'ZlZ helped me by placing in my person such a n awe as it is felt by the people from the distance of a month of travel. (2) That the whole earth has been declared to be a masjid a n d a purifier for me (in t h e religious codes of past prophets, their worship used to be performed only in particular places set up as houses of worship. Worship was not allowed outside their appointed prayer places, e i t h e r i n t h e open or inside homes. For t h e Muslim community, Allah Ta'ZlZ made the whole earth a masjid i n the sense that Salah can be made everywhere - and in the absence of water not being available or its use being harmful, the dust of the earth was made tahur or purifier so that it could be used to make tayammum which becomes a valid alternate of wudu). (3) That property from the spoils has been made halal for me. Before me, it was not halal for any other community (among whom t h e r u l e w a s to assemble t h e w a r spoils collected from t h e disbelieving adversary and deposit it a t a n appointed place i n the belief that some fire or lightening would descend from the heavens and burn it, and this act of burning would itself be the sign of the acceptance of their religious war. For t h e Muslim community, distributing t h e spoils i n accordance with the rule enunciated by the Qur'Zn and spending it a s needed was made permissible). (4) That I was given the station of the Great Intercession (&$I c ; ~ k J: \ash-Shafa'ah al-KubrZ) (that is, when no prophet would dare intercede on behalf of others on the fateful plains of the Resurrection [al-hashr], I shall, then, be given the opportunity to intercede). (5) That before me, every prophet was sent to his particular people - I have been sent as a prophet to all peoples of the world. (Ibn
Kathir)

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Verses 29 - 33

And they say, " When will this promise (of the Day of Judgment) be fulfilled, if you are truthful?" [29] Say," You have the promise of a day from which you can neither be late for a while, nor can you be ahead of it. [30]And those who disbelieve say," We will never believe in this Qur'an, nor in that which was before it." But if you could see when the wrongdoers will be made t o stand before their Lord, repulsing words (of blame) to one another! Those who were held as weak will say to the overbearing," Had you not been there, we would have been believers." [31] Those who were overbearing will say to those weak,'Was it we who stopped you from (accepting) guidance after it came to you? Rather, you were guilty. [32] And those weak will say t o those overbearing, "But (it was your) intriguing day and night ( that stopped us from accepting guidance ), when you were directing us to disbelieve in Allah and to set up rivals to Him." And all of them will conceal (their) penitence when they will see the punishment.1 And We

[I] They will conceal their penitence from each other, so that they may not face embarrassment before others.

Siirah Saba' :34 : 34 - 38 will place iron-collars around the necks of those who disbelieved. They will not be recompensed except for what they used to do. [33] Verses 34 - 38

304

And We did not send a Warner to a township, but said those who lived a luxurious life therein," We reject what you have been sent with." [34] And they said, " We are superior in riches and children, and we are not going to be punished". [35] Say, "In f a c t , my L o r d e x t e n d s provision to whom He wills, and straitens (it for whom He wills),but most of the people do not know". [36] And neither your riches nor your children a r e t h e things that bring you near Us closely; however, the one who believes and acts righteously (is close to Us). Therefore, such people will have the double reward for what they did, and they will be a t peace in the upper chambers (of Paradise). [37] As for those who strive against our signs trying to frustrate (them), they will be arraigned into the torment. [38] Commentary The age-old s a t a n i c illusion of taking worldly riches a n d h o n o u r s a s a proof of being loved by Allah All a l o n g t h e l a n e s of t i m e s i n c e t h e v e r y b e g i n n i n g , people intoxicated with material wealth and luxury have always opposed the voice of truth and taken a stance of hostility against the prophets and the pious people, except those whom Allah willed otherwise. On top of this,

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they also used to argue in favor of their satisfaction with the existing stance against t h e people of t r u t h by saying: Had Allah disliked our doings and ways, why would He give us wealth, recognition and power in this world? The noble Qur'Zn has answered it in several verses taking different approaches. The revelation of the cited verses is also related to a n e v e n t of t h i s n a t u r e which provides a n a n s w e r to t h i s a b s u r d argument. It appears in HadTth that, during the period of Jahiliyah, two persons ran a business in partnership. Then, one of them left the place and went to some coastal area. When the Holy Prophet @$, was ordained a s prophet, and people in Arabia started talking about it, the former business partner then living in a coastal area wrote a letter to his former business partner in Makkah and asked him about his reaction and the reaction of other people against this person claiming to be a prophet. The former partner in Makkah wrote back telling him that no one from among the Quraish had followed him, except that a few people of no consequence, mostly poor and needy, were going for him. The man of the coast left his business behind, came to M a k k a h a n d asked his former p a r t n e r t h e r e to tell him t h e address of the person who claimed to be a prophet. This coastal friend who used to s t u d y old s c r i p t u r e s , such a s t h e T o r a h a n d t h e Evangile, presented himself before the Holy Prophet and asked him: 'What is it to which you invite people to come?' He told him about the main elements of his da'wah of Islam. Immediately after having heard the da'wah (call) j ; l1$ (Ashhadu annaka gs to Islam in his blessed words, he said: rasiilall?ih: (i.e.'I bear witness t h a t you a r e , without a n y doubt, t h e messenger of Allah'). He asked him: "How did you know t h i s ? " He submitted: '[As for your call being t r u e , I understood i t through my reason, and then the sign of it was that:] Adherents of all noble prophets who have come earlier have, in the beginning, always been the weak and the meek, the poor and needy, people who did not matter much among those they were sent to.' Revealed thereupon was the v'erse under study: ,, ,* . . . b y p JCi Y! $+ j $3 ;? ti2;i ij (And We did not send a Warner to a : township, but said those who lived a luxurious life therein," We reject what you have been sent with." - 34:34) (IbnKathir and MazharT)
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In this verse, the word: (mutraf, translated above as 'those who lived a luxurious life) has been derived from: 2f (taraf) which carries the

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sense of a life abounding i n material assets, ease a n d comfort. Hence, ,,,,', dp (mutrafin) denotes rich people of a community (who are arrogant and careless about what is right or wrong) .The Holy Qur'Zn is saying in the verse cited above that whenever Allah has sent a messenger, these people intoxicated with their riches and pampered by a life of luxury have always confronted him with a flat denial of his mission. Quoted in the next verse (35) is their saying: d; IJY,~ Yly! ,dl jx; ,, w-c, which, in effect, means: "We are superior in riches and children, and we are not going to be punished - 35". (Obviously, by it, they meant: If we had been deserving of punishment in the sight of Allah Ta'Zlg, why would He give us all this wealth and recognition)? The noble Qur'Zn gives a n answer in the next two verses by saying: .. .;+$j 2h>? dJ: J3 , ! ("I, fact, my Lord extends provision to whom He wills, and straitens (it for whom He wills),but most of the people do not know". 34:36] And neither your riches nor your children a r e the things t h a t bring you n e a r Us closely; however, the one who believes and acts righteously (is close to Us) " ,,' $;i;~;i $ 1 ~ 1 i 34:37). The gist of the answer is that having more wealth Y; ; and recognition in this world, or not having any, is no proof of someone being acceptable or unacceptable in the sight of Allah. I n fact, it is in view of creational considerations that Allah Ta'ZlZ would give, a t least in this world, property a n d wealth i n abundance to whomever He wills, a n d gives l e s s t o w h o m e v e r H e wills. H e alone knows t h e c r e a t i o n a l consideration behind i t . But, t a k i n g t h e a b u n d a n c e of w e a l t h a n d children to be a proof of being acceptable in the sight of Allah is sheer ignorance because, with Him, t h e criterion of acceptability, approval, support and pleasure is no other but 'ImZn (faith) and good deed. One who does not carry these two assets - no matter how much wealth and how many children one has - these cannot make him or her acceptable in the sight of Allah.
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Do they think that by consistently providing them with wealth and children, We are accelerating the (real) good things to them? The fact, however, is that they do not understand (the reality) - 23:55,56.

Siirah Saba' : 34 : 34 - 38

307

And the reality is that wealth and children that make man negligent of Allah become a curse for him. Then, in a verse of Surah At-Taubah, it was said:

And their wealth and children should not attract you. Allah only wants to punish them with these in this world and that their souls depart while they are disbelievers - 9:85. In that case, it will end up into the everlasting punishment of the Hereafter. As for punishing through wealth and children right here in this world, it means that they become so involved in and infatuated with wealth and property that they never find the time to think about their ultimate fate or turn towards Allah and 'Akhirah - the end of whlch is punishment that will last for ever. Then there are many who have wealth and children both. It is within this world that, for the sake of wealth and children, rather, through the wealth and children, they have to suffer from thousands of distresses and pains. As such, their punishment starts taking effect right from this very world. According to a narration of Sayyidnii Abii H u r a i r a h &J, t h e Holy Prophet $#$ said: Allah Ta'ZlS does not see you or your wealth. He sees your hearts and your deeds - reported by Ahmad, Ibn Kathir) In the last sentence of verse 37: 431 !& &I i , i ak J such people will have the double reward for what they did, and they will be a t peace in the upper chambers (of Paradise).- 34:37), mentioned there is the state of the people of 'ImZn (faith) and good deeds for they a r e the ones acceptable with Allah. Whether or not they a r e recognized in this world, their return in the Hereafter will be double or manifold. The word: &+ (din with a kasrah of the letter: ;Lb (dad)is a verbal noun which means 'like a thing' or 'the likes of a thing'. The sense is that the way wealthy people keep amassing their wealth in the worldly life, Allah Ta'ZlZ would increase the return for His accepted people in the Hereafter many times over. For example, the return for one deed would be ten of its likes, or ten times as much. Then, it is not so restricted either. Granted the person's sincerity in deed and in view of other causes and considerations, the return of one such deed can go up to seven hundred
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Surah Saba' : 34 : 39

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times. T h a t r e t u r n s a t t h i s high scale would also be given a s s t a n d s proved from Sahih ahZdTth. I t is interesting that this too is not restricted. It could be more than that. In short, these people of faith and good deed shall be residing in the elevated chambers of Paradise in perfect peace and forever shielded against all sorrows. The word: (ghurufat) is t h e plural form of: 6 3 (ghurfah). I t denotes a part of the mansion considered distinct and high a s compared to other parts.
Verse 39

S a y , " S u r e l y , my Lord e x t e n d s p r o v i s i o n f o r whomsoever He wills out of His servants, and straitens (it) for him. And whatever thing you spend, He replaces it. And He is the best of the sustainers. [39] Commentary This verse has appeared a little earlier (36) almost in the same words. As obvious, the same thing has been mentioned here, however, it has a difference. At t h i s place, t h e r e is a n addition of: ??& (out of His 2 servants) after: 3 (whomsoever He wills) and: ' 4 j (lahu: for him or whomever) after: (yaqdir: straitens). From the statement: ??& (min 'ibadihi: from His servants), it is gathered that this rule of guidance has been put forth for His particular servants, that is, for the believers, and the purpose is to alert people of faith that they should not s t a r t loving wealth and comfort to the extent that their hearts choke when it comes to spending a t occasions and on rights enjoined by Allah Ta'ZlZ. As for the e a r l i e r v e r s e (36) t h a t c a r r i e s t h e s a m e t e x t , i t w a s a d d r e s s e d t o disbelievers and polytheists who prided on the worldly assets of wealth and children and declared these to be the proof of their success in the Hereafter. Thus, any discordance between the addressee and the purpose of a d d r e s s s t a n d s eliminated. MaulZna Ashraf 'Ali ThanZvi, i n his hhulasah of Tafsir Bayan ul-Qur'Zn, has taken the same approach by first adding 'the believers' in parenthesis while explaining this verse.
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Another difference between these two verses pointed to by some commentators is that mentioned in the first verse was the distribution of sustenance between different human beings, that is, Allah Ta'ZlZ gives more of wealth and property to some, and less to some others - all in His wisdom and in the light of universal considerations. And in this verse, only one person and his different states have been mentioned, that is, this one person has, a t times, more with him, then, comes another time and the same person has much less as well. The word: 'd (lahu: for him) which appears in this verse after: ;& (yaqdiru: straitens) releases a n indication in this direction. This approach too leaves no discordance behind. Rather, the first verse t u r n s out a s relating to different individuals a n d t h e present verse, to different states of one single person. The sentence: %LZ; 3 L j (And whatever thing you spend, He replaces it. And He is the best of the sustainers.) in verse 39 literally means: 'For anything that you spend, Allah Ta'ZlZ gives you a return from His unseen treasures - a t times, within this world and a t times, in the Hereafter and a t times, in both.' In things happening around us, we see that water comes down from above, animals and humans use it freely, needs of farms and forests are satiated, and no sooner does t h a t supply of water gets used up, than another supply descends to replenish it. Similar is the case of wells dug for water that, no matter how much water is spent out of these, it stands replenished by nature from other sources of water beneath the bed. Man eats up his food leaving the impression that he has finished it, but Allah Ta'ZlZ provides him with other food in its absence. Physical exercise burns out calories of food and other workings of nature turn it into energy. In short, whatever man spends out in this world, it is the customary practice of Allah Ta'ZlZ t h a t He would replace i t with something else similar to it. Something happening contrary to this, as an exceptional case, - either to punish one, or for t h e sake of some other creational consideration - will not be deemed as contrary to this customary Divine practice. According to a Hadith of SayyidnZ Abii H u r a i r a h & i n SahTh of Muslim, t h e Holy Prophet said, "Everyday when people rise to see &Ji another morning, two angels descend from the heavens and pray: k;.~ LiL &IJ CkG L (0Allah, bless the one who spends [out of what You gave him or her] with its return, and let the one who withholds [what

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You gave him or her] find it wasted." And according to another Hadith, the Holy Prophet @ said, "Allah Ta'ZlZ has told me: You spend on people, I shall spend on you." T h e r e is n o p r o m i s e of a r e t u r n f o r s p e n d i n g t h a t i s n o t i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e Shari'ah Says a Hadith of SayyidnZ Jabir & that the Holy Prophet $& said, "Good deed is sadaqah (an act of charity i n t h e way of Allah). When someone spends on himself or his children and family, that spending too falls under sadaqah. It brings thawab (reward from Allah). And one who spends to protect his integrity a n d honor, t h i s too i s s a d a q a h . And whoever spends whatever he does in obedience to the command of Allah, He has taken it upon Himself that He will give him its return - except that which is spent in (wasteful, extra to need) building or sinful activity, for there is no promise of a return for it." After hearing this HadTth from SayyidnZ Jabir &, his disciple, Ibn al-Munkadir asked him: 'What is the meaning of spending to protect one's honor?' He said, 'There may be a person about whom one apprehends that, should he not give him something, he would go about maligning him in all sorts of ways. In this case, giving to such a person is in order to save one's honor.' (Reported by ad-Darqutni, Qurtubi) With t h e d e c r e a s e i n t h e use of something, i t s p r o d u c t i o n also decreases The hint embedded in this verse also tells us that as long as the things of use prbvided by Allah Ta'ZlZ for consumption of human beings and a n i m a l s k e e p being consumed, t h e s e keep being replaced by Him constantly. T h e r u l e seems to be t h a t t h e more t h e consumption of something, the more its production. The multiple uses made of domestic a n i m a l s l i k e g o a t s , s h e e p a n d cows p u t t h e m h i g h on t h e l i s t of consumption. They are slaughtered. Their meat is eaten. Then, they are also slaughtered under Islamic legal requirements, such as, the Qurbani or sacrifice, and in Kaffarat (plural of kaffarah or expiation) and jinayat (faults, offences a g a i n s t religious prohibitions). T h e more t h e y a r e consumed, the more increased becomes their frequency of production from Allah Ta'Zl5. This is common experience everywhere. T h e number of these animals, despite being under the knife all the time, remains the highest i n t h e world. T h e number of dogs a n d c a t s is not t h a t high,

SGrah Saba' : 34 : 40 - 42

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although t h e reproduction of dogs and cats should obviously be much more a s t h e y produce four or five puppies a n d k i t t e n s i n a single pregnancy. A cow or goat delivers two calves or kids a t the most. Cows a n d goats keep being s l a u g h t e r e d all t h e t i m e . Dogs a n d c a t s a r e (generally) not touched by anyone. But, as far as common observations goes, i t cannot be denied t h a t t h e number of cows, sheep a n d goats comparatively exceeds t h e number of dogs a n d c a t s . Since t h e time restrictions have been placed on t h e slaughter of cows i n I n d i a , t h e production of cows has gone down there in that very ratio. Otherwise, every village and every home would have been full of cows that stayed spared from being slaughtered. Once t h e Arabs tapered down t h e i r use of camels for riding a n d transport purposes, the usual increase in the populations of their camels has also gone down. Incidentally, what h a s been said h e r e also helps remove t h a t atheistic doubt usually dished out with reference to t h e Islamic injunctions of sacrifice saying that it is likely to affect the economy of Muslims adversely.
Verses 40 - 42

And (remember) the Day when He will gather them all together, t h e n will say to the angels," Is i t you t h a t these people used to worship?" [40] They will say, " Pure a r e You! You a r e our mentor, not these. Rather, they used to worship the Jinns. Most of these believed in them.'' [41] So, you have no power today to benefit or harm one another, and We will say to the wrongdoers, " Taste the punishment of Fire that you used to belie." [421

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And when Our evident verses are recited to them, they say," He is nothing but a man who wishes to divert you from what your fathers used to worship." And they say," This is nothing but a forged lie." And the disbelievers say about t h e Truth, when i t came to them,"This is nothing but a n explicit magic." [43] And Wc did not give them any books that they might study, nor did We send to them any warner before you. [44] And those before them had rejected (the messengers), while these(infide1s of Makkah) have not reached even one tenth of what We gave t o t h o s e (before them). So, t h e y r e j e c t e d my Messengers. Then (imagine) how was My censure! [45] Say," I advise you for one thing only : that you stand up before Allah, in pairs and in singles, then reflect; (you will easily appreciate that) there is no madness in your fellow (the Holy Prophet). He is none but a warner to you in the face of a stern torment. [46] Say, "If I had ever

Siirah Saba' : 34 : 43 - 50 claimed a n y r e w a r d from you, t h e n i t is yours. My reward is with none but Allah, And He is witness over every thing." [47] Say," My Lord sends forth the Truth. He is the Best-Knower of the Unseen." [48] Say, " Truth has come, and falsehood ( has vanished so as it ) has no power to produce or reproduce (anything)." [49] Say, " If I go astray, I shall go astray only to my own detriment. And if I follow the right path, it is because of what my Lord reveals to me. Surely He is All-Hearer, Ever-Near. I501 Commentary

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T h e word: LJ+ IgzL LJ (while ( m i ' s h a r ) i n v e r s e 4 5 : +I these(infide1s of Makkah ) have not reached even one tenth of what We gave to those (before them).) has been taken to mean: ('ushr: a tenth) by some early commentators. Some scholars have interpreted it as: ('ushr-ul-'ushr: a hundredth) while others call it: 3 3 ('ushr-ul1 'ashir: a t h o u s a n d t h ) . Obviously, t h e l a t e r h a s a h i g h e r degree of exaggeration a s compared to 'ushr or ten. The sense of the verse is that not even a t e n t h , r a t h e r a thousandth, of the worldly wealth, power, blessings of age and health given to earlier communities was received by the people of Makkah. Therefore, they should t a k e lesson from w h a t happened to past communities and the evil end they faced. These were people who invited upon themselves t h e w r a t h of Allah w h e n they rejected prophets a n d messengers a n d , consequently, when came t h e actual punishment, their power, bravery, wealth and fortified fortresses could do nothing for them.

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negate any excuse for the people of Makkah, they have been shown a shortcut to ascertain truth. For this, they had to do just one thing: Stand for Allah, i n p a i r s a n d singles. 'Standing for Allah' does not m e a n standing i n t h e physical sense, something like s t a n d i n g up from the posture of sitting or lying. Instead of that, it means having the resolve to show full care and concern for the assignment in sight. Then, by adding: 4 (lil-lah: For Allah) with the word: ? i j (qiyam: stand), the purpose is To to make i t clear t h a t one should s t a r t looking for' t r u t h with a mind cleansed of previous thoughts and beliefs for the good pleasure of Allah alone, so that previous thoughts and deeds do not obstruct one's way to

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an acceptance of the truth. And then, the expression 'in pairs and singles' is not intended to point out a particular number. The sense is that there are two ways of pondering over something: (1) To think it out alone and in private. (2) To consult friends and elders, discuss it with them and then arrive a t some conclusion. I t is being said here t h a t , 'out of these two methods, you can go by the one you like.' The conjunction: (thumma: then) in the next sentence in verse 46: $ (thumrna tatafakkaru: then ponder) refers back to: I;$ ; (an i taqumu: That you stand) appearing earlier in the same verse where the purpose of standing has been spelt out - that is, 'cleanse your mind of all previous thoughts, get ready to act for the good pleasure of Allah, think about the call of the prophet of Islam, SayyidnZ Muhammad al-Mustafa and decide for yourself whether or not it is true and it does not matter whether you do this thinking on your own and all alone, or you do it by consulting others and arriving a t some conclusion following discussions with them.'
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Onwards from here, another line of thinking h a s been suggested: Here is a solitary person, all by himself, with no power or group to back him a n d no w e a l t h or property to s t r e n g t h e n h i m . H e r e h e comes proclaiming a n article of faith counter to that of his own people, rather that of the whole world, something having taken firm roots over centuries and something they all agree to. Such a proclamation can come only in two forms: (1) Either the persoh making the proclamation is totally insane who has no idea of his gain or loss and is ready to invite the wrath of his people and all sorts of hardship for him. (2) Or, what he is saying might as well be true - t h a t he is a rasul or messenger from Allah and fears none in conveying and implementing His command. Now, think hard with a n open mind as to which of the two things is the real thing. If you think in that manner, you would be left with no choice but to become certain that he cannot be insane. The entire city of Makkah a n d everyone i n t h e large tribe of Quraish is a w a r e of h i s wisdom a n d character. He h a s spent forty years of his life among his people. From childhood to his youth, everything about him h a s been before them. No one has ever found any word or deed issuing forth from him to be counter to reason, wisdom, sobriety and gentleness. And other Yl dl Y : la ilaha il-lal-lah (there is no god but than the kalimah of:

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Allah) to which he invites people, no one can doubt any of his word and deed to be counter to reason a n d wisdom, even today. Given t h e s e conditions, it becomes quite obvious that he cannot be insane. This was 3 &GI: , established in the next sentence of the verse by saying: , (there is no madness in your fellow (the Holy Prophet)). Here, the word: &G (sahibikurn: your fellow) releases a h i n t i n t h i s direction. I t is suggesting t h a t should it be the case of a visitor coming in from outside whose antecedents a r e unknown a n d who is heard saying something counter to t h e belief of a whole people, t h e n , i t is possible to call him insane. But, this cannot be true in his case. He is one of you, h e lives in your city, he belongs to your brotherhood and abides in your company be it day or night. Nothing he does is hidden from you. I n fact, even you yourselves have never cast aspersions against him in that manner before this.

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2; : (Say," My Lord s e n d s f o r t h t h e ! Verse 48: +&I ?%, , Truth. He is the Best-Knower of the Unseen." - 34:48) Say, "Truth has come, and falsehood (has vanished so as it ) has no power to produce or reproduce (anything)". It means that my Lord who is the Knower of the Unseen strikes out the false with a throw of the truth (as a result of which : 'and there i t is all gonefthe false is destroyed, as it was said: 51; 4 Al-Anbiya', 21:18). Literally, t h e word: 23 (qadhf) m e a n s to h i t by throwing. Here, the purpose is to highlight the truth a s set against the false. Perhaps, there may be a wise consideration behind expressing this & phenomenon through the word: 4 (yaqdhifu: He throws), may be the purpose is to point out to the after effect of the truth prevailing over the false. It appears here in the form of a simile a s the throwing of something heavy over something feeble that shatters into pieces. So i t happens in t h e confrontation between t r u t h a n d falsehood w h e n t h e l a t e r lies i &gl LG I; (and falsehood ; : shattered. Therefore, it was said next:
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(has vanished so a s it) has no power to produce or reproduce anything) that is, falsehood becomes so incapacitated in the face of t r u t h t h a t it can neither originate anything nor can it bring it back.
Verses 51 - 54

And if you could only see when they will be terrified! Then there will be no escape, and they will be seized from a place near a t hand. [51] And they will say, " We believe in Him." And how can they achieve it (the faith) from a place (so) far off, [52] while they had rejected it before, and used to make conjectures from a place (so) far off ? [53] And a barrier will be placed between them and that which they desire, as it will be done with the people of their kind who were before (them). They were in a perplexing doubt. [54] Commentary According to most commentators, the attending condition described in ) \:I;&;;(and they will be seized from a place near a t verse 51: 4 p c hand) r e f i r s to t h e Day of Resurrection (al-hashr) from t h e terror of which disbelievers and sinners will not be able to escape even if they try to do so. I n o u r normal experience i n this world, when a culprit r u n s away, he has to be searched for. Something like that will not happen i n the present case. I n fact, all of them will be seized from where they are located. No one will have the chance to escape. Others have taken this time to be that of the agony of death, that is, when the time of death comes, they will be terrified and, unable to extricate themselves from the hands of the angels, they will be seized where they are with their soul taken out.

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j $ The word: j;G (tanawush) in verse 52: rda >@I $ , ;&Ii ; ij (And they will say, " We believe in Him." k n d how can they achieve it (the faith) from a place (so) far off?) means to pick u p something by stretching one's hand. Then, it is obvious that one can pick up only what is near a t hand. If it is very far, it will be out of reach. The subject of the verse is that disbelievers and deniers, once they see reality as it is on the Day of Judgement, will say, "We have now come to believe in the Qur'Zn, or the messenger of Allah to whom it was revealed." But, they would not know that the time and place for embracing 'Iman (faith) has receded far away from them for the reason that 'Iman is a thing of the life of the mortal world a n d t h a t alone is w h a t is accepted. T h e 'Akhirah ( t h e Hereafter) is not the venue of deeds, the place to act right (darul-'amal). Nothing done t h e r e c a n be t a k e n into account. Therefore, how is i t possible that they pick up the great wealth of 'Iman just by stretching their hand for it.
L 2 6; 1j2 2 3 The word: 3 2 (qadhj) in verse 53: dEZ 2 J, , ;$$; ' $ (while they had rejected it before, aAd used to make conjectures from a place (so) far off) means to hit something by throwing. I n t h e Arab idiom, anyone talking out of his hat having no proof for it is referred to by ( t h e e x p r e s s i o n s : 4 4 v J r a j m bil-ghayb) a n d : 4 6 4 - G ( q a d h f bil-ghayb), that is, this person shoots arrows in the dark which has no aim or target. At this place, the expression: $ j C (from a place far away) means 'what they say is far from their heLrts, t h a t is, they do not believe in it by heart.'

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wished to have was no other but a punishment that had already been given to people like them who indulged in doings their disbelief prompted them to do. The reason was that they were deep in doubt, that is, they did $ ! not believe in the prophethood of Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa $ nor did they have t h e certitude of a n d faith i n t h e Qur'iin being t h e Divine word. And Allah is Pure and High and He knows the best.

AlhamdulillZh The Commentary on Siirah Saba' Ends here

Siirah F a f i r : 35 : 1 - 3

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Siirah Fatir
(Creator1Originator)
Siirah Fatir was revealed at Makkah and it has 45 verses and 5 sections

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful,the Very-Merciful

Verses 1- 3

All praise belongs to Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, who makes the angels messengers having wings, in twos, threes and fours. He adds to the creation what He wills. Indeed, Allah is powerful t o d o every thing. [I] Whatever blessing Allah opens for the people, there is none to hold i t back, and whatever He holds back, there is none to release it thereafter. And He is the Mighty, t h e Wise. [2] 0 mankind, r e m e m b e r Allah's blessing upon you. Is there any creator other than Allah who gives you provision from the sky a n d t h e e a r t h ? There is no god, but He. So, t o where a r e you being turned around (by your desires)? [3]

Commentary +,, * As f o r t h e s t a t e m e n t : M-J+&LJl,J+ (who m a k e s t h e a n g e l s messengers), i t means that angels were assigned to convey the messages and injunctions of Allah Ta'ZlZ. From this, it is obvious t h a t they are sent to the noble prophets eMYJl as the message-bearers or envoys of Allah. They convey the revelations and the injunctions of Allah to them. And it is also possible that the word: Jy, (Rasiil) used here may be denoting the sense of link a t t h i s place, t h a t is, they become a link between Allah TaLEIZand His universal creation out of which the noble prophets r-gjc rMLil are the superior-most. Thus, they also become a n intermediary link to for the transmittal of revelation from Allah TaCZlZ them. Then, these very angels happen to be the means of brin'ging the mercy of Allah or His punishment to the universal creation.
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The next statement: LJ$ $ $&i (having wings, in twos and LJ,~ t h r e e s a n d fours) m e a n s t h a t Allah Ta'ZlZ h a s given to t h e angels feathered wings they can fly with. The wise consideration behind it is obvious a s they traverse the distance between the heavens and the earth repeatedly, and this can become possible only when they are endowed with the necessary speed to so traverse, something that can come about in the mode of flying only: And t h e words: L? j $ (in twos a n d t h r e e s a n d fours) a r e , evidently enough, numerical adjectives referring to: (wings) in the sense that the number of the feathers angels have varies from angel to angel . Some have only two wings. Others have three. Still others have four. Even the numbers mentioned here are not comprehensive, rather they are mentioned here just as an example, because it is proved by a Hadith in SahIh of Muslim that SayyidnZ Jibra'il has six hundred feathers. (Qur$ubi, Ibn Kathir)

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The next sentence: ; & -i 2 (He adds to the creation what He wills) means that Allah TaLZIZhas the power to increase whatever He wills a n d a s much a s He wills i n the creation of everything H e h a s i originated. This obviously is related to: + (ajnihah: wings) in t h a t the feathers and wings of the angels are not something simply restricted to two or four in numbers, for they could be many more than these if Allah Ta'ZlZ so wills. Most commentators say exactly this. And Tafsir authorities Zuhri, Qatadah and others have said that this increase in creation is to be taken in its general sense which includes increase in the feathers and wings of angels a s well a s t h e increase of particular a t t r i b u t e s i n the creation of different human beings which, then, includes the beauty of form, t h e beauty of c h a r a c t e r , t h e beauty of voice a n d m a n y more increased a s s e t s like these. Abii Hayyan h a s , i n a l - B a h r ul-MuhTt, followed this track of explanation and said that things like good manners, beauty of figure and face, perfection of reason and intellect, politeness in discourse and similar others are all included therein. This second TafsTr proves that the beauty or perfection of anything one has is invariably a gift and blessing from Allah Ta'ZlZ for which one should be grateful to Him.
d$ $1 @L.L: The word: .Lc; (mhmah: mercy) appearing in verse 2: there is _Cb: % (Whatever blessing Allah opens for the none to hold it back,) is general at this place. It includes blessings of one's religion in this world along with those of the Hereafter, such as, faith, knowledge, rightly guided conduct as well as the mission of a prophet and the station of a Waliyy or man of Allah. And it also includes material blessings i n t h e present world, such a s , provisions, m e a n s , comfort, health, wealth, property, recognition and things like that. The meaning of the verse is quite obvious. I t is being said here that the person for whom Allah Ta'ZlZ intends to open the doors of His mercy, there is no one who can stop it.

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decide to deprive a person of His mercy due to some wise consideration of His, then, there is no one who can dare pass it on to him. (AbG Hayyan) Related to this very subject of the verse, there is a Hadith that reports that Sayyidna Mu'awiyah +% wrote to Sayyidna Mughirah Ibn Shu'abah $ &, his governor a t Kufah, asking him to send back to him in writing some H a d i t h h e h a d personally h e a r d from th'e Holy P r o p h e t Sayyidnii Mughirah & called Rawwad, his chief scribe, in his office and dictated his report as: 'I heard from the Holy Prophet $& soon after he & Yj &! &L Y finished his salah his recitation of the words: 9; : (0Allah, for that which You give, there is no one UI , , & ', to stop, and for that which you hold back, there is no one to give it out, and no effort1 by any maker of effort works against Your will'). (Ibn Kathir

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And according to a narration of Sayyidna AbG Sa'id al-Khudri & in SahTh of Muslim, he said these words a t the time he raised his head from ,B r ,,,, , the (bending) position of ruku'before another sentence: US; 4 JG d $i 1 3(that is, these words, out of all that a servant of Allah can say, are the most true, incumbent and superior).
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Trust in Allah delivers from all hardships
The lesson taught by the cited verse (2) to all human beings is that one should not hope any benefit or fear any harm from anyone other t h a n Allah, instead, one should keep his or her sight trained towards Allah alone. This is the master prescription for a better life in this world as well a s i n t h e life t o come. This simple a n t i d o t e delivers one from thousands of anxieties and sorrows. (R*-ul-Mazni) Sayyidna 'Amir Ibn 'Abd Qays & said: Once I get to recite four verses of the noble Qur'Zn in the morning, I stop worrying about what would happen in the morning and what would happen i n the evening. These i verses are a s follows. The first one is this very verse under study: h @ L :& 'A % G; @ %; 4@(Whatever blessing Allah opens for the people, there is none to hold it back, and whatever He holds back, t h e r e is none to release i t thereafter - 35:2). T h e second verse

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[I] This translation is based on one way of reading this prayer, that is, jidd (with

kasrah on the letter jim, but if it is read as jadd, the the correct translation would be: 'no high status of a person may benefit him against Your decree. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

having the same sense appears in SErah al-An'am, 6:17: $;k.h &Z A! 1 .$ (And if Allah causes you some harm, no @ 21; $&Jij ;!j 2 g! +t? , , one is there to remove it except He Himself; and if He causes you some good, then He is powerful over everything - 6:17). The third verse is from + > J > ,,,,* Sfirah At-Talaq, 65:7: (Allah will soon bring ease after yu , a difficulty). The fourth virse is from SErah Hiid, ll:6: q! @;YI $; G j 7 &I & (And there is no creature on earth whose sustenance is not on Allah - 11:6). (Narrated by Ibn al-Mundhir, as in R h ul-Ma'ani)
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And when SayyidnZ AbG Hurairah & saw rain falling, h e used to say: $9;:(The rain has come upon u s through the rise of fath: (the ik b$ $1 $G (Whatever opening) and would, then, recite the verse: blessing Allah opens for the people, there is none to hold it back,- 34:2). This term of 'rise of fath' used by him was in rebuttal of the false notion prevailing among Arabs of those days who used to attribute the coming of rains to the rise of particular stars and said that the rains had come upon them through the rise of such and such star. SayyidnZ AbG Hurairah & countered it by saying that (the mercy of) rains came to him through (the statement in) the verse of fath or opening. By this, he meant this very verse quoted above. He used to recite it particularly on such occasions.

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(Reported by Imam MZlik in al-Mu'watta)

Verses 4 - 8

And if t h e y r e j e c t you,( i t is n o t s o m e t h i n g new, because) many messengers have been rejected before you. And to Allah all matters are to be returned. [4] 0 mankind, Allah's promise is definitely true, therefore, the worldly life must not deceive you, nor should you be deceived about Allah by the big deceiver (Satan). [5] Surely Satan is an enemy for you. So, take him as a n enemy. He invites his group only to cause them to be a m o n g t h e p e o p l e of b l a z i n g f i r e . [ 6 ] T h o s e w h o disbelieve will have a severe punishment; a n d those who believe a n d do righteous deeds will have forgiveness and a great reward. [7] Is it, then, that the one whose evil deed has been made attractive to him so much that he deems it to be good (will be held equal to him who differentiates between right and wrong) ? The fact, therefore, is that Allah lets go astray whomsoever He wills , and leads to the right path whomsoever He wills. So, let not your soul collapse in grief for them. Surely Allah fully knows what they are doing. [8] Commentary The word: J j > (gharur) is a n emphatic form of a n adjective t h a t means one who is very deceiving (hence, rendered here as 'big deceiver'). I t refers to the Shaitan (Satan) whose sole job is to deceive people and I S throw them into disbelief and sin. And the expression: &6 ,&>u (5) means 'nor should you be deceived about Allah'. To explain this deception, it can be said t h a t the Shaitan may not, by showing your evil deeds as good, cause you to become so involved with these that you reach the stage when you go on committing a sin and, a t the same time, keep thinking that you are of those accepted in the sight of Allah, and that you will not have to undergo any punishment.' (Qurtubi)
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I m a m a l - B a g h a w i h a s reported on t h e a u t h o r i t y of SayyidnZ 'Abdullzh Ibn 'Abbas & that the verse: &&j dl1 $ (The ; fact, therefore, is t h a t Allah lets go astray whomsoever He wills , and leads to the right path whomsoever He wills.- 8) was revealed a t a time when the Holy Prophet had made the prayer: '0 Allah, bless Islam with prestige and power, through 'Umar Ibn al-Khattzb, or Abii Jahl.' Out of the two, Allah Ta'ZlZ showed the right path to Sayyidna 'Umar and made him the cause of Islam's prestige and power, while AbE Jahl remained as astray a s h e was. ( M a ~ h a r i )

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Siirah Faf i r : 35 : 9 - 14 Verses 9 - 1 4

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And Allah is the One who sends the winds, then they raise up the clouds, then We drive them to a dead land a n d revive t h e land through them after its death. I n similar way shall be t h e resurrection. [9] Whoever desires honor, t h e n all honor lies with Allah alone. Towards Him ascends the pure word, and the righteous deed uplifts it. As for those who plot evils, for t h e m there is a severe punishment, and their plot itself will perish. [lo] And Allah has created you from dust, then

S i r a h Faf i r : 35 : 9 - 14 from a drop of semen, then He made you couples. And no female conceives n o r gives b i r t h w i t h o u t His knowledge. And no aged person is made to advance in age, nor a part is curtailed from his age, but all this is (recorded) in a book. Surely all this is easy for Allah. [ l l ] And t w o s e a s a r e not alike; t h i s one is sweet, saturating, pleasant to drink, and t h a t one is saltish, bitter. And from each, you eat fresh meat, and derive o r n a m e n t s t h a t you wear. And you see t h e b o a t s therein cleaving through water, so that you may search for His grace, a n d t h a t you may be grateful. [12] He makes the night enter into the day and makes the day enter into the night, and He has subjugated the sun and t h e moon; e a c h one of t h e m is r u n n i n g t o w a r d s a n a p p o i n t e d time. T h a t is Allah, your Lord. To Him belongs t h e kingdom. And those whom you invoke b e s i d e Him do n o t own even t h e m e m b r a n e o n a date-stone. [13] If you call them, they do not hear your call, a n d even if they were t o hear, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Judgment they will deny your having held them as Allah's partners. a n d none can inform you like Him who is Aware. [14]

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Commentary @I 31_iLh: (Towards Him j q i In verse l o , it was said: 'A; ascends the pure word, and the righteous deed uplifts it). Immediately earlier to this, it was declared that the person seeking honor and power should understand that these matters are not controlled by anyone other t h a n Allah. As for those who have t a k e n certain things a s objects of worship or h a v e t a k e n some people a s friends i n t h e hope of being honored by them, they cannot give honor to anyone. Given in the present verse, there is a method of acquiring the gifts of grace and honor from Allah Ta'ZlZ. I t h a s two parts: (1) Good word ( t h a t is, t h e kalimah of tauhid: la ilaha il-lal-lah) and the knowledge of the being and attributes of Allah. (2) Good deed, t h a t is, to believe by h e a r t a n d t h e n act i n accordance with its dictates under the Shari'ah. Shah 'Abdul Qadir -J LJli dl has said in Mudih-ul-Qur'En that this prescription of becoming a recipient of honor is perfectly true and tested, however, the condition is that one remains constant in remembering Allah and doing good deeds. When this constancy reaches a n appointed limit, Allah Ta'ZlZ blesses the doer of these with a n everlasting and unparalleled honor both i n this world and in the world to come.

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Siirah Faf ir :35 : 9 - 14

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These two parts have been expressed in the cited verse by saying that good word ascends towards Allah and reaches Him while good deed uplifts it and makes it reach Him. I n the grammatical arrangement of: fi&i &;J: t h e good deed uplifts i t ) t h e r e a r e c e r t a i n probabilities. T h e ( meanings of t h e sentence change i n t e r m s of each such probability. Authorities i n Tafsir h a v e explained i t i n line w i t h t h e respective probabilities that they have deemed to be appropriate by them. According to the first probability, the subjective pronoun in: A> (uplifts) should be taken a s reverting to: ... (the good deed) and the objective pronoun (it) to: ... (good word) meaning: 'good words ascend to Allah, b u t t h e thing t h r o u g h which t h e y a r e made to ascend a r e good deeds ( a s i n t h e khulasa-e-Tafsir of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi). The majority of Tafsir authorities - SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs, Ibn Jubayr, Hasan al-Basri, Mujahid, Dahhak, S h a h r I b n Hawshab a n d others - have opted for t h i s very approach. And the sense of ascending to and being helped to ascend is being accepted in the sight of Allah, therefore, the gist of the sentence would be that good word, be it the kalimah of tauhid or others words of t h e remembrance a n d glorification of Allah, nothing of i t gets to be acceptable with Allah without good deed. Here, the confirmation by heart is an integral part of good deed the most important part of which is the belief by h e a r t i n His Oneness. This belief by h e a r t is a necessary condition for the acceptance of deeds in the absolute sense. Without it, neither the Kalimah: Y'! 9 $ (la ilaha il-lal-lah) nor any other Dhikr of Allah is acceptable.

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Then, there are the other parts of good deed, such as, prayers and fasting and abstinence from forbidden and reprehensible things. Though, the acceptability of the 'good word' ,that is, the kalimah of tauhid does not depend on such good deeds, yet these deeds too are conditions to a perfect acceptability of the 'good words'. If a person simply does not have faith, and its confirmation, in his heart, then, no matter how many times he repeats t h e words of t h e cardinal s t a t e m e n t of one's Islam (Kalimah Tauhid: la ilaha il-lal-lah) and remains engaged with dhikr and Tasbih of Allah, he will not deserve the least of acceptability in the sight of Allah. In contrast, there is the case of the other person who does have faith and its confirmation, but fails to do other good deeds or falls short in them, then, his saying of the kalimah of tauhid and the doing of the dhikr of

Allah will, though, not go to waste totally, however, its benefit will be restricted t o delivering him from t h e everlasting p u n i s h m e n t . T h e consequence will be t h a t h e will go through a certain punishment for some time t h a t will be in proportion to his abandonment of duty and the shortcoming.

& In a Hadlth, t h e Holy Prophet $ h a s said, 'Allah Ta'ZlZ does not accept any word without deed, a n d any word a n d deed without t h e intention, and any word, deed and intention without compatibility with sunnah (as said and done by him).' (Qurtubi)
This tells u s t h a t correspondence with s u n n a h is t h e condition of perfect acceptability. Even if the word, the deed and the intention, all these, a r e also correct b u t t h e mode a n d method of conduct is not i n accordance with sunnah, then, one cannot become a recipient of perfect acceptability with Allah. Some commentators suggest another syntactical a r r a n g e m e n t i n respect of this sentence. According to them, the subjective pronoun in: 2; (uplifts) reverts to: )L+ ( good word) and the objective pronoun (i.e.'itl) to: $5- ( good deed). Thus, the meaning of the sentence become totally different from that of the earlier, that is, 'good word' which is the dhikr of Allah, makes 'good deed' ascend and makes i t rise higher up, t h a t is, makes it worthy of being accepted. The outcome would then be t h a t a person who does good deeds, and along with it, also does his dhikr of Allah abundantly, t h e n , this dhikr of Allah embellishes his deed'and makes it acceptable. s - ,, , , :,, 3,s , The sense of the verse: +$ j Y! ?y 8 Y) j r LL:; (And no aged person is made to advance in age, nor a part is curtailed from his age, but all this is (recorded) in a book - 35:11), according to the majority of the commentators is that if Allah Ta'alZ blesses a person with a long age, i t i s a fact already on record i n t h e Preserved Tablet (al-lawh al-mahfu?). Similarly, when the age of a certain person is kept a t a lower mark in terms of the number of years, that too already stands recorded in al-lawh al-rnahfuz. The outcome of i t all is that the text, a t this place, is not referring to one individual person's age being long or short, instead, the statement relates to humankind a s a whole, in the sense that some individuals from i t a r e given long ages a n d others, a comparatively

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shorter ones. The explanation h a s been reported by I b n Kathir from SayyidnZ 'Abdullah Ibn 'AbbZs &.Abii Bakr a l - J a ~ + Zreports the same ? i saying from Hasan a l - B a ~ rand Dahhak. Therefore, in general books of Tafsir, such as, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, RZh ul-Ma'ani and others, this very e x p l a n a t i o n h a s b e e n d e c l a r e d a s t h e view of t h e m a j o r i t y of commentators. However, some early commentators have said: Should the length of age concerns one single person, then, decrease in age would mean that the age of every person a s already written by Allah Ta'ZlZ is certain, and every day that passes decreases one day from this pre-fixed age. If two days pass, two days decrease. I n the same way, every day, in fact, every single b r e a t h keeps decreasing one's age. T h i s Tafslr or explanation has been reported from Sha'bi, Ibn Jubayr, Abii MZlik, Ibn 'Atiyyah and Suddiyy. (R* u l - M a h i ) This subject has been succinctly expressed in a n Arabic couplet as:

Your life is (the name of) counted breaths. So, whenever passes away a breath from it, a part of it decreases.

I n his explanation of this verse, Imam an-Nasa'i has reported from SayyidnZ Anas Ibn MZlik & that he heard the Holy Prophet @ saying, <* , ,, , , ,. ' 'J J & 3'1 This Hadith has also been J--p$ & b - 3 $;2 & reported by al-Bukhari, Muslim and AbG Dawiid on the authority of a narration from YEnus I b n Yazid Ayli. The Hadith means: 'He who wishes t h a t his sustenance a n d age is increased should t r e a t his close relatives well (Silatu-r-rahirn).' This obviously suggests t h a t t h e thesc deeds increase one's age. But, another Hadith given below h a s itself clarified its sense:
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Ibn Abi Hatim reports from SayyidnZ Abii-d-Darda' &. He says, 'when we mentioned this (subject) before the Holy Prophet @, he said, "(Age as such is already fixed and determined by Allah), when the fixed term is over, no one is given the least respite. In fact, increase in age means ( in the Hadith cited above) that Allah Ta'ElS blesses one with good children who keep praying for him. This person is not there anymore, but h e keeps receiving t h e i r prayers i n his grave ( t h a t is, h e keeps on receiving the benefits one would have received if one were alive. Thus, in a way, his age h a s increased"). (Both narrations appearing above have been

Siirah Fatir : 35 : 9 - 14

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reported by Ibn Kath;r). In short, &adTth that say that some deeds cause age

to increase mean increase in the barakah or bliss of age. , , > " j ' sJ C + , ,J ,, In the next verse: a? *, . 2 , (And from , each, you eat fresh meat, and derive ornaments that you wear - 35:12), it is being said that one gets fresh meat, that is, fish to eat from both waters, sweet or brackish. I n this verse, by alluding to fish a s meat, t h e hint released is that fish is meat, already halal by itself. One does not have to slaughter it. This is contrary to the case of the animals found on land. Unless one slaughters them with the name of Allah, they do not become halal. Fish does not have this condition. It is meat, ready to eat. And the word: & (hilyah) means ornament and refers to pearls. The verse tells us that the way pearls are found in brackish waters, they are also found in sweet waters, something contrary to the general belief, since it is well known t h a t pearls a r e harvested from the brackish water of t h e seas. However, the reality is what is evident from the words of the Qur'an that they form in both - yes, much less in sweet waters and far more in the brackish w a t e r s of t h e sea. T h a t they a r e found i n s e a s excessively contributed to t h e popular belief t h a t pearls come only from brackish waters.
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(talbasunaha: By using the masculine form in the last word: t h a t you wear), a h i n t is being released t h a t t h e u s e of p e a r l s is permissible for men as well - contrary to gold and silver, the use of which as a n ornament is not permissible for men. (R$-ul-MaSni) ' I n the last verse: $ ! ' I 1% ;GL: gj cp s,-,> k i Iw-Y y p - ~(If you call them, they do not hear your call, and even if they were to hear, they would not respond to you. - 35:14). To explain, it can be said that if you call those idols or some prophets or angels you take as god and worship them asking them to help you in distress, they will, first of all, be unable to listen to you because idols do not have the ability to listen. Though, p r o p h e t s a n d a n g e l s h a v e t h i s ability, y e t t h e y a r e n o t p r e s e n t everywhere nor do they hear that which is said by everybody. Further on, it was said that, should they, a s a matter of supposition, be able to listen, as in the case of angels and prophets, still, they would not fulfill your request, because they themselves have no control over i t , a n d cannot intercede with Allah on behalf of anyone without His permission.
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0 men, you are the ones who need Allah, and Allah is the Need-Free, the Ever-Praised. [15] If He so wills, He can do away with you and bring a new creation. [16] And for Allah, that is not something difficult. [17] And no bearer will bear the burden of any other person. And if a person carrying a heavy load calls (someone) to (share) his load, nothing from it shall be carried ( by the latter ), even though he be a near of kin. You can

Siirah Fatir : 35 : 15 - 26 w a r n only those who fear t h e i r Lord unseen a n d establish salah. And whoever gets purified gets purified for his own benefit. And to Allah is the final return. [18] And the blind and the sighted are not equal, [19] nor darkness and light, [20] nor shade and heat of the sun. [21] And t h e living and the dead a r e not alike. Allah makes hear whomsoever He wills. And you cannot make hear those who are in the graves. [22] You a r e but a warner. [23] Surely We have sent you with truth as a bearer of good news and as a warner, and there was no community without a warner having passed among them. [24] And if they reject you, ( it is not something new, because ) those before them have (also) rejected (messengers). Their messengers came to them with clear proofs a n d with scriptures a n d with t h e e n l i g h t e n i n g book. [25] Then I seized t h o s e who disbelieved. So, how was My censure ! [26]

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Commentary Verse 18: d>l,? , , Y; (And no bearer will bear the burden of any other person) means that, on the Day of Judgment, no one will be able to bear the burden of another person's sins. Everyone will have to bear his ,,' '<' or her burden. As for what appears in Siirah Al-'Ankabiit (29:13): ,, ,- e /,*< , $G , I Y ; , which means that people who make others go astray will GL not only bear the burden of going astray personally, but will also bear the burden of having made others go astray. it does not mean that they will somehow lighten t h e burden of those they h a d caused to go a s t r a y . Instead, their burden will weigh on them as it was in its own place and because of the crime of those who made people go astray, being twofold, their burden too will become twofold, one: that of being astray and two: that of making others go astray. Therefore, there is no contradiction in these two verses. (R%-ul-Ma5-i)
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Explaining this verse, SayyidnZ 'Ikrimah & said: On t h a t Day, a father would say to his son, 'You know how affectionate a father I was to you?' H e will s a y , 'yes, your favors to me a r e countless. You h a v e certainly faced many a hardship for me during t h e life of t h e world.' Then, the father will say, 'son, today I need you. Give me some of your good deeds, so t h a t I can have my salvation.' The son will say, 'father, the return you asked for is not much, but what can I do? If I were to give that to you, I shall be facing t h e same situation t h a t you a r e facing now,

therefore, I am sorry, I cannot help you.' Then, he will say the same thing to his wife, 'I sacrificed everything for you during the life of the world. Today, I need a few of your good deeds. Please give these to me.' The wife will give him the same answer as was given by the son. SayyidnSi 'Ikrimah & said that this is what the verse: & p i jj? oJjlj (And no bearer will bear the burden of any other) means. Then he said that the noble Qur'iin has taken up this subject in several of its verses. At ' one place, it has said: &I; C;;. jGfP >Jr.Yj &; C;;. 21;j j & ~t h a t is, on that Day, neither a father would be able to have his son be spared from the punishment, nor would a son be able to do that for his father (31:33). The essential sense is that no one will save another person by carrying the burden of his sins over one's own shoulders. However, the matter of intercession (shafa'ah) is different. Similarly, i n another verse, i t was , , ,,,, d . , ,,, said: u, L ; d j $1; <ij &ij $ 1 rf? that is, on that Day, one will run 4fi from his brother and his mother and father and his wife and children (80:34,35).The purpose of running is no other but that h e would be in fear, lest these people try to pass on the burden of their sins on him or come up with a request for some of his good deeds. (IbnKathir) > > t ' ,. s , , , -, , At the beginning of the verse: c;\ (And you cannot Lj d ;. r make hear those who a r e i n t h e graves - 22.), disbelievers have been likened to the dead and believers, to the living. In congruence to this, the expression: 2 (those in the graves) here means the disbelievers. The sense is that 'the way you cannot make the dead hear you, you can also not make these living disbelievers hear you.'
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This verse has itself clarified it that, a t this place, making someone hear means the kind of listening that is going to be useful, effective and beneficial. Otherwise, t h e effort to make disbelievers l i s t e n , i n t h e absolute sense, has remained a n exercise in futility since ever. I t has even been a matter of common observation that a call was beamed a t them, and they did listen to it. Therefore, the verse means that 'the way you cannot bring the dead to the right path by making them hear the Divine Word because they have shifted from the avenue of deeds in the world to the arena of recompense in the Hereafter where, even if they confess to their faith, it will not be deemed as trustworthy, similar to t h a t is the condition of the disbelievers. This proves that the negation of making thc dead hear referred to in this verse means a particular listening t h a t is

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beneficial, something because of which the listener forsakes the false and takes to the true. From this presentation, it becomes clear that the present verse has nothing to do with the issue of the ability of the dead to hear. Whether or not the dead hear the living is a different issue in its own place. A detailed discussion about it has appeared in the commentary on Siirah Ar-RCm and SCrah An-Naml (Masriful-Qursn, Volume VI).
Verses 27 - 28

Did you not see that Allah has sent down water from the sky? Then We brought forth with it fruits having different colors. And among the mountains there a r e tracks, white and red-- of different colors, and ( others) utterly black. [27] And among humans and beasts and cattle, there are those having different colors as well. O n l y t h o s e of H i s s l a v e s f e a r A l l a h w h o a r e knowledgeable. Surely Allah is Mighty, Forgiving. [28] Commentary Sequence of t h e Verses

Some early commentators have said that these verses return to the subject of Tauhid, Oneness of Allah or pure monotheism supported by proofs of Divine power and mastery in nature. Some others have said that described i n the previous verses were different states of people along with L j (And examples, such as: J ; J 9; &Ij 3 &.j~ J 1 j the blind and the sighted are not equal, (35:19) nor darkness and light, nor shade a n d h e a t of t h e s u n - 35:20). What is being s a i d h e r e f u r t h e r clarifies that mutual difference in Divine creations is something inherent. It exists even in organic and inorganic substances, in fact, it is present not only in shapes and colors, but in traits and temperaments a s well.

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A subtle grammatical point
The Holy Qur'an has mentioned different colors of fruits a t the first place i n Verse 2 7 , a n d of t h e mountains a t t h e second place. B u t t h e grammatic style is different i n both places. With regard to f r u i t s the difference of colors is mentioned by an adverbial phrase (translated above as ' having different cobblers', while in the case of mountains, it has been expressed by a n adjectival phrase (translated above a s ' of different cobblers'. According to the Arabic grammar, an adjective normally refers to t h e permanent quality of a thing, while a n adverb may refer to a quality or condition that is subject to change. Keeping this in view, there may be a hint here to the effect that the difference of colors in fruits does not remain constant in a single state, rather keeps changing after brief intervals. On t h e contrary, t h e r e a r e t h e colors of h u m a n beings and other life forms. These are generally fast and abiding, and do not change. And in case of mountains, used there was the word: ;g(judad). This is the plural form of: (juddah) the well-recognized meaning of which is that of a mini pathway also known as: OL- (jadah). Some respected elders have taken juddah i n the sense of a tract, patch or segment that, in both situations, denotes parts of the mountains being different i n colors. Out of these, white was mentioned first while black, last. I n between, (of different along with t h e mention of red, t h e expression: Li$& colors) was introduced. This could be releasing a hint that, in reality, the colors in this world are no more than two - white and black. The rest of the colors in the spectrum emerge by compounding different degrees of white and black.

, The place where the word: & d (kadhalik: translated above by the words, 'as well') appears i n verse 28 just before: ??$ h\ d!$g jm\(Only those of His slaves fear Allah who are knowledgeable), but i n the translation above it has been separated from the next verse by a full stop, because this is the place of a stop (waqf) according to the consensus of t h e majority of commentators a n d scholars. As s u c h , i t i s a s i g n denoting t h a t t h i s word is related to t h e previous subject, t h a t is, t h e creation of all that exists in categories and kinds and different colors is a very special sign of the power and wisdom of Allah Ta'ZlZ.

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next sentence. If this interpretation is adopted, t h e full stop would be appropriate a f t e r t h e words, 'having different colors, a n d t h e word 'kadhalika' should be translated a s 'similarly' i n which case, i t would mean that 'the way fruits, mountains, human beings and other life forms are marked out by different colors, similarly, there are different degrees among people who have the awe or fear of Allah in their hearts. Someone may have achieved its highest degree. Others may have arrived a t what is less than that. Then, the whole thing depends on knowledge. Whoever has a certain degree of knowledge will have a corresponding degree of the awe or fear of Allah. (R$-ul-Mahi) In previous verses, it was said: d 4 eJ j J gGj (18)This is to , , give solace to the Holy Prophet which means, 'when you warn people and convey the message of Allah to them, only those who have the awe of Allah without having seen Him get the maximum benefit out of it.' In , , ,s symmetry with this, the present verse: j U I ??+ G! (Only those of His slaves fear Allah who are knowledgeable - 35:28) has mentioned people about whom it can be said that they have the awe of Allah and f e a r Him a s i s H i s d u e . T h e n , t h e r e is a n o t h e r p a r a l l e l i s m h e r e . Mentioned earlier were disbelievers and deniers along with the different states they were submerged in. In the present verse, what has been put forth is the opposite of it. The verse talks about the men of Allah (the j auliya' of Allah) particularly. The word: d (innama) is used in the Arabic language to describe h a ~ or exclusiveness. Therefore, t h i s sentence r obviously means t h a t only the 'Ulama' (the knowing, t h e learned, the initiated) f e a r Allah or have t h e genuine awe of Allah. B u t TafsTr authority, I b n 'Atiyyah a n d others said t h a t t h e way d (innama) is ! employed to show exclusiveness, it is also used to describe the singularity of something, and the later is what is meant here - that fearing Allah and remaining in awe of Him is a specially incumbent attribute of the 'Ulama'. I t does not necessarily imply that those other than them have no such fear and awe in them. (Al-Bahr ul-Muhh, AbE HayyZn)
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And the word: ;G ('Ularna') in the verse means people who have due knowledge of the being and attributes of Allah Ta'ZlZ and who have the fact of His power and control, and His favors and blessings, on what He has created, always in sight. In the terminology of the Qur'Zn, no one is considered to be a n 'alim simply by v i r t u e of knowing t h e Arabic

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language, grammar and rhetoric unless he has acquired the knowledge and understanding of the attributes of Allah Ta'ZlZ in the manner stated above. Explaining this verse, Hasan a l - B a ~ rsaid: 'Alim is a person who fears i Allah in private and in public, and likes what Allah likes him to do, and hates what is detestable i n the sight of Allah. And Sayyidnii 'AbdullZh Ibn Mas'Gd & said:

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Memorizing many ahadith (or, talking a lot) is no 'ilm (knowledge). Instead, (real) knowledge comes when one has the awe and fear of Allah with it. In short, the degree of the fear of Allah one has shall go on to make him an 'Alim of that very degree. And Ahmad Ibn Salih al-Misri said: Fear of Allah cannot be recognized on the basis of someone's prolific reporting of events or abundance of knowledge, in fact, it is identified through one's adherence to the Book of Allah a n d t h e S u n n a h of t h e Prophet. (Ibn Kathir) Shaykh Shahabuddin as-Suhrawardi >L; d l said: T h i s verse clearly indicates t h a t a person who h a s no fear of Allah i s n o 'alim. (Ma~hari) This is confirmed by the sayings of the early forbears of Islam (Salaf).
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SayyidnZ Rabi' Ibn Anas & said:

One who does not fear Allah is not an 'alim. And early commentator, MujZhid said:

Only he who fears Allah is the (real) 'alim. Someone asked Sa'd Ibn IbrZhim: Who knows Divine Law a t its best , "' in the city of M a d h a h ? He said: $2 (He who is the most fearing of his Lord). And SayyidnZ 'Ali al-Murtada & defined a Faqih (master of Islamic jurisprudence) by saying:

Siirah Fatir : 35 : 29 - 37

340

A F a q i h , perfect a s h e must be, is h e who would not m a k e people lose hope in the mercy of Allah, nor leave them free to indulge i n acts of disobedience to Him, nor give t h e m t h e guarantee of remaining safe from the punishment of Allah, nor forsake the Qur'an by indulging in pursuits other than it. (And he said): Verily, there is no good in a n act of worship that is without knowledge, and there is no good in a knowledge that is without understanding, and there is no recitation (Qira'ah of the Qur'an) without deliberation in it. (QurtubD

The clarifications appearing above also help remove the doubt about many 'Ulama' who do not seem to have the kind of awe and fear of Allah required of them. These clarifications tell us that, in the sight of Allah, the im bland knowledge of Arabic is not what ' l is, and certainly, the one who is proficient in it is not a n 'Alim. Anyone who does not have the fear of Allah in his heart is simply not an 'Alim in the terminology of the Qur'Zn. However, a t times, awe and fear of Allah are rooted in one's creed and reason because of which one adheres to the injunctions of the SharTah as a matter of obligation. Then, there are occasions when this awe and fear of Allah become the very state of one's existence and rise to the degree of a firmly ingrained asset whereby the readiness to follow t h e Sharl'ah becomes a natural reflex. The first degree of the awe and fear of Allah is mandatory and, for a n 'Ali,:~.nccessar:r. The second degree is certainly superior and sublime, but not necessary. (Bayan ul-Qur5n)

Verses 29 - 37

Siirah F a t i r : 35 : 29 - 37

341

S u r e l y t h o s e w h o r e c i t e A l l a h ' s Book a n d h a v e established salah and have spent, from what We have provided them, secretly and openly,--- they hope for a trade that will never crash, [29] so that He pays them their rewards in full, and gives them more out of His grace. Surely He is Most-Forgiving, Very- Appreciative. [30] And the Book We have revealed to you is the Truth, confirming what was (revealed ) before it. Surely Allah , in respect of His slaves, is All-Aware, All-Seeing. [31] Then We conveyed the Book as an heritage to those of Our slaves whom We chose. Then, some of t h e m a r e those who wrong their own selves, and some of them are mediocre, and some of them are those who outpace (others) in righteous deeds with Allah's permission. That is the great bounty, [32] gardens of eternity they enter. They will be ornamented with bracelets of gold and with pearls, and their dress therein will be (of) silk. [33] And t h e y will say, " Praise be t o Allah who h a s r e m o v e d a l l s o r r o w f r o m us. S u r e l y o u r L o r d i s Most-Forgiving, Very-Appreciative, [34] who, out of His grace, h a s made us land a t a home of e t e r n a l living where neither we are touched by weariness, nor are we touched by boredom." [35] And those who disbelieve, for them shall be the fire of Jahannam; neither they will be

Siirah Fatir : 35 : 29 - 37 sentenced t o death, s o that they die, nor will i t s torment be lightened for them. It is in this way that We punish every infidel. [ 3 6 ] And they will be crying therein, " Our Lord, take us out from here, and we will act righteously, not in the way we have been doing before." (Allah will say to them,) " Did We not give you an age in your life in which lesson could have been learnt by the one who wished to take lesson? And (furthermore) the Warner had (also) come to you. So, have a taste, because the wrongdoers will have no supporter. [37] Commentary

342

Mentioned earlier, in verse 28, there was a quality of true 'Ulama' who acknowledge Allah. This quality related to the heart. I t was to have Allah's awe in the heart. In the first of the present verses (29), some those qualities of the same blessed people, the awliya' or men of Allah, are mentioned that find expression through outward parts of the body. Out of these, the first quality is the tilawah (recitation) of the Qur'Zn. This denotes the people who recite the Book of Allah constantly. The use of the aorist tense (mudari? in: Cyatluna: they recite) releases a hint in this direction. Then, there are other elders who have taken: L$ Cyatluna) at this place in its literal sense, that is, they follow the Qur'Zn in deed. But, the first Tafsir is weightier, even though, it also stands determined from the context that recitation can be trustworthy only when it brings forth actions in accordance with the Qur'Zn. But, the word: (tilawah or recitation) used here appears in its recognized sense. Similarly, Mutarrif Ibn 'AbdullZh Ibn Shikhkhir SL; &I said: %'I (This verse is for al-qurra'), the phoneticians of the Qur'iin, who make the recitation of the Qur'Zn their special activity of life.
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The second quality they have is the establishing of Salah and the third is the spending of their wealth in the way of Allah. When the text says 'secretly and openly', i t indicates t h a t i t is often better to spend secretly in order to stay safe from riya'(show off) in acts of worship. But, there are occasions when religious considerations require that it should be done openly, a s in the case of congregational prayers for which thecommand is to call adhan from minarets and perform salah openly with the highest possible attendance. Similarly, there are occasions when it is necessary to let spending in the way of Allah be open in order to persuade others to do the same. Muslim jurists have laid out details in the matter of

salah and spending in the way of Allah. According to them, when it is fard (obligatory), WZjib (necessary) or sunnah mu'akkadah (emphasized sunnah), doing this openly is better. Other than this, when doing nafl salah, it is better to do it privately. Similarly, in instances when spending one's w e a l t h i s F a r d or Wiijib, s u c h a s , t h e obligatory ZakZh or sadaqatul-fitr or qurbani, spending openly on these is better and worthy of more merit. As for the rest of voluntary charities (Sadaqatun-nafilah), spending these secretly carries more merit and grace. From people who carry these three qualities in their person, t h a t is, they recite the Qur'Zn constantly, establish salah as due and spend in the way of Allah cheerfully, it is also expected that they would not simply stop a t Fard a n d WZjib spending, r a t h e r , would also be c o n t r i b u t i n g to voluntary charities. Identified next, t h e r e is yet another a t t r i b u t e of , ,, theirs: ,4; J O ; ; ' e ; : . ,(they hope for a trade that will never crash,). The L $ , , expression: ;$$ ( ( a n tabur) is a derivation from: 3I, (bawar) which m e a n s to go w a s t e . T h e verse m e a n s t h a t believers h a v i n g t h e s e attributes hope to go in a trade that never runs into a loss. The very word: ,, , 3 ~ (yarjun: hope) indicates that a believer has no room for certainty in 3 any good deed done by him or her in this mortal world. No one can say it will definitely bring forgiveness to them and that they will get its reward for sure - because, no matter how good one is in deeds, one simply cannot fulfill t h e r i g h t of reverence a n d worship Allah Ta'ZlZ h a s on His servants. Therefore, forgiveness for one a n d all will not be possible without the grace of Allah Ta'ZlZ, as has been clearly stated in a Hadith. In addition to that, with the doing of everything good, one should not neglect the danger of some secret trick of Satan or one's own self getting mixed up with so many good deeds because of which they do not remain acceptable. Or, on occasions, along with a good deed, some bad deed gets to be committed which in turn stops the good deed from being accepted. ,, Therefore, by introducing the word: ;.'y-3 (yarjun: hope) in the verse, it was pointed out that even after having become particular with all possible good deeds, no one has the right to become sure of his or her salvation and of high ranks that follow in its wake. The most one can do is hope.
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Good deeds likened with trade
In this verse, good deeds mentioned above have been likened to a

trading activity - as it was done in another verse where Faith and Jih3d in the way of Allah have been expressed as trade or business deal:

0 those who believe, shall I tell you about a trade that saves you from a painful punishment? (It is that) you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and carry out Jihad in His way with your riches and your lives - &-Saff, 61:lO).

I t has been characterized as trade in the sense that a trader invests his capital and time i n some venture only when he hopes that by doing so, his capital will increase and he will profit by it. But, every trading activity in this world is hemmed with the probability of loss along with the hope of profit. I n t h e present verse, by adding t h e word: ;$g (Ian tabur) to trade, it was pointed out that in this deal made for the sake of the benefits of the Hereafter, there was no probability of a loss. Then, the good people of Allah who take pains to do what is good and right do not go about running a business as businesses are commonly run. Instead of that, they hope to engage in a trading activity that never suffers a loss. As for the mention of the stance of hope on the part of such people, i t serves as a delicate hint in the direction that Allah Ta'ZlZ is the noblest of the noble and the most generous of the generous, so He will not sever the hope of the hopeful, instead, would fulfill it. In fact, in the next sentence, it was also said that their hope is limited to receiving only a full return of their deed, but Allah Ta'ZlZ would, in His infinite mercy, bestow on them much ', ,,,, ,, >',,,f,, more, far more than they would have ever hoped: $-& VJ"-23, + j ~ \wp?, (so that He pays them their rewards in full, and gives them more out of , '?,> His grace - 30). The word: ~ p ? (liyuwaffiahum: so that He pays them in , full) is connected with: ;$> (lan tabur: has no loss), that is, this trade of theirs not only that it admits of no loss, but that it will also bring their return and reward in full, and in addition to that, Allah Ta'ZlZ will bless them, out of His grace, with much more, rather, far beyond their fondest hopes of returns.
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Included within this grace and increase is the promise of Allah Ta'SlZ that He rewards the deed of a believer multiplied many times, the lowest denominator of which could be ten times of the deed, and the highest could reach seven hundred times, even higher t h a n t h a t . Then, also

included in this grace is the acceptance of their intercession on behalf of sinners - as it appears in a Hadith narrated by Sayyidna 'AbdullZh Ibn Mas'Gd & where he has reported the explanation of this grace from the Holy Prophet B: 'These people will intercede on behalf of anyone who had done some favor to them during the life of the mortal world. Then, despite being deserving of the punishment of Jahannam, such people will stand delivered of it by virtue of their intercession.' (Tafsir Mazhari with reference to Ibn AbT Hatim) (And it is obvious that intercession will be possible only for the people of faith. No one will be allowed to intercede on behalf of a disbeliever) Similarly, the foremost part of this grace is that they will have a n opportunity to see Allah Ta'ZlZ

341 41 The word: (fhumma: Then) in verse 32: 6?+ j &I (Then We conveyed the Book as an heritage to those of Our slaves whom We chose.) serves a s a conjunction to denote t h a t t h e two t h i n g s mentioned before and after it, despite having common characteristic, are marked by precedence and succession. What comes first has precedence, a n d t h a t which comes a f t e r , succeeds. I n addition to t h a t , on some occasions, this precedence a n d succession takes effect i n terms of time while, on some others, in terms of rank and degree. In this verse, the word: $ (thurnma: Then) is & ('atfi Conjunctive particle) connected to the word: L%ji (awhaina: We revealed). It means: This Book, that is, the Qur'Zn which is nothing but the truth, and confirms all earlier Scriptures, We first sent to you a s a revelation. After that, We made those We chose out of Our servants inherit the Book. The earlier and later of it, or the precedence and succession of it in terms of rank and degree is already very obvious i n t h e sense t h a t the sending of t h e Qur'Zn to t h e Holy Prophet through the medium of wahy (revelation) has precedence in r a n k a n d degree. T h e n , its bestowal on t h e community of Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa & takes effect in succession to it. And if making the Muslim ummah the inheritor of the Qur'Zn is taken to mean that he rather than leave behind his legacy in the form of wealth and lands, left behind the Book of Allah as his legacy or inheritance - a s borne by Hadith: 'Prophets do not leave coins of gold and silver a s inheritance: They leave (true) knowledge as their legacy.' Or, "'Ulama' are inheritors of prophets" - then, in those terms, this precedence and succession could also reflect a time frame in the sense that 'We have blessed you with this

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Book. After that, you passed it on to your ummah a s its inheritor.' To make someone inherit something means to bestow it on someone, give it as legacy, gift. This act of bestowal when expressed a s inheritance points out to the fact that the way an inheritor gets his or her share from the inheritance without h e or s h e having done a n y t h i n g to acquire i t , similarly, this wealth of the noble Qur'Zn has been given a s a gift to these chosen servant without any effort on their part.

A peculiarity of the Muslim Community, and that of its 'Ulami~'

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According to the majority of commentators, the sentence: (those of Our slaves whom We chose) in verse 32, means the ummah (community) of S a y y i d n a M u h a m m a d al-Mustafa @, i t s 'Ulama' directly, and others, through the 'Ulama'. Reporting a Tafsir of this verse from SayyidnZ I b n 'AbbZs &, 'Ali I b n Ab! T a l h a h h a s said: T h e ij:$ (those whom We chose) means the the ummah of expression: &I These are the people Allah Ta'ZlZ has made the the Holy Prophet inheritors of every Book He has revealed (that is, the Qur'Zn, a s being the Book that confirms and preserves all previous Scriptures, encompasses the contents of all revealed Books. Being its inheritor amounts to inheriting ,>> all revealed Books). Then he (Ibn 'AbbZs) said: && 'd$- + b , ,, , s < , , , J ,s G L*L&that is, even the unjust one from among +L& , ,+Jl b 4 - +L-) them will be forgiven, and those who pursue a middle course among them will pass through a reckoning that is easy, while those who excel in good deeds will enter Jannah without reckoning. (IbnKathir)

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The word: (istafaina: We chose) used in this verse shows the great honor bestowed upon the Muslim ummah, because this word: (istifa': to choose) h a s frequently appeared for prophets i n t h e Holy ' ,,>'" , WI/&- (Allah chooses messengers from Qur'Zn as in: ZJ a diljl ,', ,, the angels and from men. - al-Hajj, 22:75) and in: +j:! jl; L y ) kiii 5! 3 1 & 2 1 2JY; (Verily, Allah has chosen Adam and Niih and the House of IbrZhim and the House of 'ImrZn over the worlds - Al-'Irnrzn, 333). I n the verse under study, Allah Ta'ZlZ has put the Muslim ummah in line with the chosen ones, the prophets and the angels, although the degrees of such choice vary. The choice of prophets and angels occupies a higher degree, while the choice of the Muslim ummah, one that is posterior.
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t h e m a r e those who wrong t h e i r own selves, a n d some of t h e m a r e mediocre, and some of them are those who outpace (others) i n righteous deeds with Allah's permission - 35:32) is virtually a n explanation of the first sentence of the verse. I n other words, it means t h a t 'there a r e three kinds of Our servants We have chosen and have made them inherit the Qur'Zn: (1)The unjust (2) The moderate (3) The excellent. Imam Ibn K a t h b has explained these three kinds by saying: The one who wrong himself means a person who falls short i n fulfilling some obligatory duties, and goes on to commit some of what is forbidden a s well. And the one who follows the middle course is a person who fulfills all legally binding obligations a n d avoids everything forbidden, b u t on occasions, leaves out what has been recommended and falls into what is reprehensible. And excellent is the one who goes ahead of everyone in good deeds, fulfills all obligatory a n d recommended duties a n d avoids everything declared forbidden or considered reprehensible and goes on to leave what is allowed to him because of his devotion to acts of worship or because of some doubt in its lawfulness. This is what Ibn Kathir has said. Other commentators have reported many more sayings while explaining t h e s e t h r e e kinds. Tafsir Riih-ul-Ma'Zni mentions forty-three sayings with reference to at-Tahrir. But, on deliberation, t h e outcome of most is t h e s a m e a s s t a t e d with reference to Ibn Kathir.

A doubt and its answer
The explanation given above proves that i:i. 1 (those whom We :,,6 ij?$ chose) means the Muslim ummah that has three kinds and t h a t its first kind - the unjust - is also included among the chosen servants of Allah. Taking this probability to be obviously remote, some people have said that this kind of people (who have wronged themselves) is excluded from the definition of: GI (We chose) and from the Muslim ummah. But, it already s t a n d s proved from many authentic ahadith t h a t each one of these three kinds relate to Muslim ummah and are not excluded from the characteristic of: WI(We chose). In fact, this is the ultimate merit of the believing s e r v a n t s of t h e Muslim u m m a h t h a t even those who a r e somewhat wanting in the matter of deeds are also sharers in this supreme distinction. At this place, Ibn K a t h b has put together all those Hadith narrations, some of which are being cited below:

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Siirah Fafir : 35 : 29 - 37

348

According to a narration of SayyidnZ Abii Sa'id al-Khudri &,the (those We Holy Prophet % said about these three kinds of: GI chose): 'They rank alike and alike they are in Jannah, all of them.' The expression 'being in one rank' means that all of them will be forgiven and all of them will go to Jannah - not that there will be no variance among them in terms of their ranks.

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Then, there is a Hadith reported from SayyidnZ Abii-d- Darda' & which is supported by several chains of authorities. I b n Kathir h a s documented all of them. One of these has been reported by Ibn Jarir from SayyidnZ Abii Thabit who, when he went to the Masjid one of those days, found SayyidnZ Abii-d- Darda' 4 already sitting there. SayyidnZ Abii Thabit went close, sat down by his side and started making a prayer: +/lld C & 3%; p;j il &'I$ ( ' 0 Allah, mollify the loneliness 1 a n d a n x i e t y of my h e a r t , a n d h a v e mercy on m e i n my s t a t e of homelessness, and make it easy on me by (sending) a good companion'). (At this point, it is worth recalling that the great emphasis was placed by the early forbears of Islam on the quest for a good companion. They took this need to be a n important objective in life and considered it to be a cure of all anxieties, so much so that they would raise their hands of prayer before Allah and ask Him that they be blessed with one). When SayyidnZ Abii-d- Darda' & heard this prayer, he said, 'If you are honest in your prayer (for a companion), then, I am more fortunate than you (in the sense that Allah blessed me with a good companion like yourself, on the spot, without asking). Then, he said, 'I relate to you a Hadith I have heard from the Holy Prophet @. But, since the time I heard it, I did not have t h e occasion to relate i t before anyone. Here is t h e Hadith: He ,>jJ",Al >i 2" mentioned this verse: 2, . , , 3 (Then We conveyed the Book as a n heritage to those of Our slaves whom We chose - 32). Then, he said, 'As for those who race ahead of others in the matter of good deeds, out of the three kinds, they will go to Jannah without reckoning. And those who are in the middle will face a n accounting that will be easy on them. And the unjust, the ones who fall short in deeds and are prone to slip into sins, will be overwhelmed with remorse a t this juncture. After that, they too will be asked to enter Jannah and all their sorrows will stand removed ;I -$&$I a l&j 1 from them.' I t finds mention in the next verse: > (" Praise be to Allah who has removed all sorrow from us. Surely our Lord

Abii Diiwiid at-Tayalisi reports from 'Uqbah Ibn Sahban Hana'i that he asked t h e Tafsir of t h i s verse from Ummul-Mu'minin, Sayyidah 'Aishah & d & She said, "My son, all these three kinds are to go to l , . Paradise. Out of these, those who were ahead of everyone in good deeds were people who passed away during the period of the Holy Prophet $$. He himself testified that they are to go to Jannah. And those who took the middle course are people who followed the former a s their role models to the extent that they joined up with them. As for those who have been unjust to themselves, they are people like me and you!" Certainly great was the modesty of Sayyidah 'A'ishah L+G d HJI l that she counted herself too as part of the third kind, that is, among those who are unjust to themselves - although, according to very clear statements in sound and authentic ahiidith, she ranks high among the very first and foremost people (as-sabiqun al-awwalun) of early Islam. And Ibn J a r b has reported from Muhammad Ibn-ul- Hanafiyyah 3 hl who said, 'This ummah is a community of people blessed with the " mercy of Allah so en masse that even the unjust one in it stands forgiven, and the one of the middle course is in Jannah and the one way ahead in good deeds enjoys high ranks with Allah.'
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The great merit of the 'Ulama' of the Muslim ummah In this verse, Allah Ta'Zlii has said that He has made a particular people to become inheritors of His Book, people who a r e chosen a n d honored ones from among His servants. Then, i t is also obvious t h a t 'Ulama' are the direct inheritors of the knowledge relating to the Book of Allah a n d t h e mission of prophets, a s i t h a s also been s t a t e d i n t h e , :, ;, ('Ularna' inherit [the legacy of] prophets). I n sum, HadTth: S I G Y Ib J j
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people who have been so blessed by Allah Ta'ZlZ that they engage in the pursuit of the fields of knowledge relating to the Qur'iin and Sunnah with unalloyed sincerity is, in itself, a sign of their being men of Allah worthy of the task. This is as it has been supported by a narration of Sayyidna Tha'labah Ibn al-Hakam & that reports the Holy Prophet @ to have said, 'Allah Ta'alii will address the 'Ulama' of the Muslim community on the Day of Judgment and say, "I had placed My knowledge and wisdom in your chests, for I had intended to forgive you irrespective of the nature of your a c t u a l deeds." (From t h e earlier p r e s e n t a t i o n , i t i s already established that a person who has no awe and fear of Allah is simply not counted as one of the 'Ulama'. Therefore, this address will be to people for whom the awe and fear of Allah has become their natural reflex. Hence, it would be virtually impossible for them to indulge in sins carelessly. Yes, on occasions, they too could slip or make a mistake under the dictates of h u m a n temperament. This very aspect was alluded to i n t h e Hadith mentioned above where it was said - no matter the nature of your deeds, forgiveness is destined for you). All t h e s e n a r r a t i o n s have been t a k e n from I b n K a t h h . T h e l a s t Hadith reported from Sayyidna Tha'labah & has also been reported by at-Tabarani with all chains of authority cited by him being reliable. (TafsTr MazharT) And in Tafsir Mazhari, the subject of the same Hadith has been reported from Abii 'Umar San'ani with reference to Ibn 'Asakir. Similarly, according to a narration of Sayyidna AbG Miis5 al-Ash'ari &, the Holy Prophet $$ said, 'On the Day of Resurrection (al-mahshar), Allah Ta'Zla will gather all His servants together. Then, He will assemble the 'Ulama' from among them a t a prominent place and will say to them:

I had placed My 'ilm in ,nu since I knew you (that you will fulfill the due rights of this ,!m, the knowledge given to you) and I had not placed My 'ilm in you so that I punish you. Go, I have forgiven you - Mazhari.

Special Note In this verse, mentioned first was the category of the unjust, then of those following the middle course, and finally, of those who a r e ahead in good deeds. The reason for this order may, perhaps, be that the number of

Siirah Fatir :35 : 29 - 37

351

those unjust to them selves is larger, those following the middle course are less than them and those ahead in good deeds happen to be less t h a n the later. Thus, those whose number was large were made to appear first. A close look a t the last sentence of verse 32 and the statement i n verse 33: >? &(J;\$$, - >,i & s$, &' & j ;c &< dG& 3, -. '&; (That is the great bo;nty, gardens of eternity t h i y enter: They will be ornamented with bracelets of gold and with pearls, and their dress therein will be (00 silk. - 35:32,33) shows that in the beginning of verse 32, Allah Ta'ZlZ has pointed out to three kinds of His chosen servants following which it was said: 3 1 i& ,' : That is, 'this counting of all these three among His chosen servants is the great bounty.' Next comes the statement relating to their recompense - that they will go to J a n n a h , that they will be given bracelets of gold and ornaments of pearls to wear and that their dress shall be of silk.
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For men, in this mortal world, it is haram to wear ornaments of gold, a n d dresses made of silk too. To compensate, they will have t h e s e i n Jannah. Let there be no doubt about it, something like: Ornaments are for women, not for men in whose case these do not suit. The reason is simple. Taking the conditions prevailing in the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) and Jannah (Paradise) on the analogy of conditions prevailing in the mortal world is unreasonable, even dumb. According to a narration of Sayyidna AbG Sa'Td al-Khudri &,the Holy Prophet said, 'Crowns on the heads of the people of J a n n a h will be studded with pearls. Light emitted by the smallest of its pearls will fill the entire horizon from the East to the West.' (Reported by at-TirmidhI and
al-Hakim, who has authenticated it, and by al-Baihaqi - from Mazhari)

Imam al-Qurtubl said: Commentators explain t h a t every inmate of Jannah will have bracelets to wear on their hands - of gold, silver, and pearls. About this celestial bracelet, a verse mentions 'of silver' (76:21) while others, 'of gold' (18:31; 22:23; 35:33; 43:53). The present explanation brings both verses in correspondence.

A person who will use utensils of gold and silver and dresses of silk will remain deprived of these in Jannah
Sayyidna Hudhaifah & says t h a t h e heard t h e Holy Prophet saying, 'Do not wear dresses of silk and do not drink water in utensils of

gold and silver, nor use plates made of these in eating food - because, t h e s e t h i n g s a r e for disbelievers i n t h i s world a n d for you, i n t h e Hereafter.' (al-Bukhari and Muslim) And SayyidnZ 'Umar & reports that the Holy Prophet said, 'Any male who wore a dress made of silk in this world will not wear it in the Hereafter' (al-Bukhari and Muslim). And a narration of SayyidnZ AbYi Sa'id al-Khudri & says, 'A male who wears a dress made of silk in this world will remain deprived of it in the Hereafter, even if he were to go to Jannah.' (Mazhari) The next verse (34): 3 3 1 t j i i 541 m ljij (And they will say, i "Praise be to Allah who has removed all sorrow from us.") tells us about what the people of Paradise will say when they enter Jannah. What does 'sorrow' mean a t this place? Leading commentators have given various explanations about it. However, the truth of the matter is t h a t all sorrows stand included therein. In this world, one may become a king or a prophet or a saint, yet no one can escape it:

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In this world, no one is free of sorrow And if one is, one is not a human being. I n this world of our experience, no one good or bad can get away from one or the other concern, anxiety or sorrow. Therefore, people of wisdom call this world a home of sorrows. The sorrow the removal of which this verse mentions includes all these mortal states of concern. The second concern is t h a t of t h e Day of Judgment a n d Resurrection. T h e t h i r d concern is t h a t of Reckoning of Deeds, a n d t h e f o u r t h , t h a t of t h e punishment of Jahannam. From the people of Jannah, Allah Ta'ZlZ will remove all these concerns. anxieties and sorrows. According to a narration of SayyidnZ 'AbdullZh Ibn 'Umar &, the said, 'For the people who uphold the KalTmah of la ilaha Holy Prophet il-lal-lah (there is no God but Allah), there is no fear and loneliness a t the time of death, nor in the grave, nor when they rise again on the Day of Resurrection - a s if I am virtually seeing them rise from their respective ij ( P r a i s e b e to A l l a h who h a s graves s a y i n g : ~ Y I ; i removed all sorrow from us.").' (Reported by at-Tabarani,Mazhari)

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At t h i s point, let u s refer back to the Hadith of Sayyidna AbG-DDarda' 4 that has appeared a little earlier. There it has been stated that % it will be said by the unjust, those who have wronged their own selves. This is because they would initially face great anxiety on the plains of Resurrection but, finally, when they are asked to enter Paradise, it will ~ ~ 2 removed. T h i s s t a t e m e n t does not c o n t r a d i c t t h e H a d i t h of n d SayyidnZ Ibn 'Umar G!% appearing immediately above. Again, the reason is that the person who has wronged himself would have a n additional sorrow on his hands, more serious than that of others, on the plains of the Resurrection as well - something that will stand removed a t the time of one's entry into the Paradise. In short, this is a statement t h a t will be made by all people of Jannah, no matter to which kind they belong, to the ones who have been ahead of all in good deeds, or to those who have followed the middle course, or to those who have been unjust to their own selves. But, the thought of everyone's roster of sorrows being separate from each other is not too far out. Imam AbE Bakr al-Ja~?Zs said: I t is the typical state of a believer that he never remains free of concerns while in this world. The Holy Prophet $$ has said that the world is a prison for the believer. This is the reason why it appears in the accounts of the lives of the Holy Prophet $$and his great Sahabah that these blessed souls used to look sad fairly often.

241 (who, In verse 35: GkJ & Ly > L - y 4Lk;2 G e l J : > out of His grace, has made us land at a home of eternal living where neither we are touched by weariness. nor are we touched by boredom."), some characteristics of J a n n a h have been described: (1) T h a t it is a n eternal home with no danger of any lapse of time, or expulsion from there at any time. (2) That no one will face any sorrow while there. (3) That no one there will experience the least fatigue or boredom, as i t happens in the mortal world where one needs to sleep after work. Life in J a n n a h will be free from this too. This subject also finds mention in some narrations of HadTth. (Mazhari)
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When the people in Jahannam will plead with their Lord t h a t they be delivered from its punishment, so that they could do good deeds then, and not do the bad ones they did earlier, a t that time they will be told: ,, ,s,,, z ?cL-: 7 2 J J*.L ("Did We not give you a n age in your life in which lesson could have been learnt by the one who wished to take
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lesson - 37) Sayyidna 'Ali Ibn Husain Zain ul-'Abidin & said, "It means gave the age as the age of seventeen years." And Qatadah >L; dl eighteen years, meaning thereby the age of puberty. And the difference of seventeen and eighteen is possible in determining the age of puberty, as someone may reach puberty a t the age of seventeen and someone else a t , eighteen. I n t h e Shari'ah, t h e age of puberty i s t h e f i r s t line of demarcation after having crossed which a person is Divinely blessed with enough reason, so that one can understand what is good or bad in his or h e r case. T h e r e f o r e , t h i s a d d r e s s will be to d i s b e l i e v e r s a t l a r g e irrespective of their ages being long or short. However, the one who had a long lease of life, yet did not come to his senses, saw all sorts of physical proofs scattered around and heard the teachings of the prophets, still did not recognize the t r u t h - so then, this one will be more blameworthy.

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In short, the person who saw nothing beyond the age of puberty, he too was given enough power of discrimination by nature that h e could have used to distinguish between the true and the false. When h e failed to do that, he too is deserving of censure and punishment. But, the person who was given long years to live, t h e warning of Allah stood served against him in a more conclusive degree. Then, if he could still not shake off h i s disbelief a n d disobedience, h e would b e more d e s e r v i n g of punishment and blame. SayyidnZ ' l al-Murtada A; said, 'The age whereupon Allah Ta'ZlX has asked His sinning servants to beware is that of sixty years.' Sayyidna Ibn 'AbbZs &, according to one narration, has given it a s forty years while, according to another narration, as gixty. He has said t h a t this is t h e a g e w h e n t h e a r g u m e n t a n d w a r r a n t of Allah s t a n d s s e r v e d conclusively on a n erring person who, t h e n , is left with no room for making excuses. Ibn KathTr has given preference to the second Hadith of SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas

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From t h e p r e s e n t a t i o n made above, i t i s clear t h a t t h e r e is no contradiction i n t h e narrations pointing out to t h e age of seventeen 1 eighteen and sixty. Though, someone a t the age of seventeenleighteen is able to distinguish between the true and the false. Therefore, one has been obligated with precepts of the SharFah from this benchmark this very age of puberty. But, the age of sixty is such a long period of time that, should one still fail to recognize the truth, there remains no room for

making any more excuses. Against such z person, the argument of Allah stands firmly established. Therefore, the aggregate ages of people in this blessed ummah are destined to be between sixty and seventy years - as said in HadTth:

The ages of my ummah will be in between sixty and seventy and there will be few of those who will exceed that - reported by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, Ibn Kathb. ,,.s ,',-, Towards t h e e n d of t h e verse (37), i t w a s s a i d : ,+J~,SCL-; (And (furthermore) the warner had (also) come to you.). Given here is a hint t h a t Allah Ta'ZlZ gives one from the age one a t t a i n s puberty enough ability to rationalize and recognize a t least his or her creator and master and then goes on to live a life the purpose of which is to seek His pleasure. To do only this much, human reason alone would have been sufficient. But, Allah Ta'ZlZ did not leave it simply a t t h a t . I n fact, He s e n t His special people called: >& (nadhir) to help them reason it out. This word is usually translated as 'one who warns' or 'warner' in English (the later, though, not formally admissible in the language, but is still used in the absence of a suitable equivalent). In fact, a nadhir is a person who, by virtue of his mercy and compassion, asks his people to stay away from things that are likely to bring harm to them or cause their total ruination as a people and tries to instill the fear of such things in their hearts, lest it actually happens. In terms of its well-recognized meaning, it refers to the noble prophets r U i L+L, and to the 'Ulama' who carry out their mission as their deputies. The outcome of the verse is: 'We gave them reason to recognize t h e t r u e from t h e false. Along with i t , We also s e n t O u r prophets who would guide them on the path of truth and keep them safe from the false.' And it has been reported from SayyidnZ Ibn 'Abbas &,'Ikrimah and Imam Ja'far BZqir that nadhir means the gray hair of the old age. When they flare up, they give a message to human beings: Here comes the time to go! This statement too is not contradictory to the first one for gray hair might as well serve as the standard bearers of warning along with Anbiya' and 'Ulama'. And the t r u t h of t h e m a t t e r is t h a t all conditions faced by h u m a n

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Siirah F a f i r :35 : 38 - 41

356

beings after their age of puberty and all minor and major changes that take place in their persons and in that they are surrounded with are, all of them, heralds of warning for human beings.
Verse 38 - 41

Surely Allah is the Knower of the unseen in the heavens and the earth. Indeed He fully knows what lies in the hearts. [38] He is the One who has made you successors (of the past generations) i n t h e e a r t h . So t h e one who becomes infidel, his infidelity will go against himself. And their infidelity adds nothing to the infidels but anger with t h e i r Lord, a n d t h e i r infidelity adds nothing t o t h e i n f i d e l s b u t loss. [39] S a y , "Tell me a b o u t y o u r (presumed) co-gods whom you invoke beside Allah. Show me that part of the earth that they have created, or do they have a share in the (creation) of the heavens? " Or have We given them a book so that they are upon a clear proof from it? No, but the wrongdoers promise one a n o t h e r nothing but delusion. [40] Undoubtedly, Allah holds back t h e heavens a n d t h e e a r t h f r o m leaving their existing state, and if they were to leave, t h e r e is none who can hold t h e m back, except Him. Surely He is Forbearing, Most-Forgiving. [41]

Siirah Fatir : 35 : 42 - 45

357

Commentary The word: &% (khala'if) in verse 39: >;YI j3 j$l$ (He is the One who has made you successors (of the past generations) in the e a r t h . ) i s t h e p l u r a l of: ( k h a l i f a h ) which m e a n s d e p u t y or vice-regent. The general sense is that Allah Ta'ZlZ has let human beings have lands and houses that keep passing on from one to the other. I n this phenomena, there is a great lesson - turn to Allah. Then, the statement could also be taken to have been addressed to the ummah of the Holy Prophet saying, 'After past communities, We made you take their place with authority to make life better around you, so it is your duty t h a t you learn your lesson from what happened to people earlier t h a n you, and hence you, on your part, do not while away precious moments of your life in negligence.'

hl f (Undoubtedly, Allah holds back ! In the expression: the heavens and the earth - 35:41), the 'holding' of the heavens or the skies does not mean t h a t their movement was stopped. Instead, it means ,' holding them from moving askance - a s the word: YJy ;I (an tazula: from leaving their existing state,) bears it out. Therefore, in this verse, there exists no supporting evidence on either side as to the skies move or they are static.
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Verses 42 - 45

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And they h a d sworn forceful oaths t h a t if a w a r n e r would come to them, they would be more receptive to g u i d a n c e t h a n a n y o t h e r community. B u t w h e n a warner came t o them, i t added nothing to t h e m but aversion, [42] because of their showing arrogance in the land a n d plotting of evil. And the evil plot envelops none but its own people ( who make it ). So, they are looking for nothing but the (divine) practice with the earlier people. So you will never find in Allah's practice any change, and you will never find in Allah's practice any diversion. [43] Did they not travel in the land and see how was the end of those before them ? And they were stronger t h a n these in power. And Allah is not such t h a t something in the heavens o r the e a r t h can frustrate Him. Surely He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful. [44] And if Allah were to take mankind to task for what they did, He would have not left a living creature on its back, but He delays them upto an appointed time. So when their time will come, then Allah is the One who will see His slaves. [45] Commentary ,',' ,, The word: & Y (la yahiq) in verse 43: $ Y! 4 91 Y; 6 '"G1 +$ (And the evil plot envelops none but its own people ( who make it ) carries the sense of: & Y (la yuhi?: does not surround) or: && +Y (la usib: does not afflict). Thus, it comes to mean that the curse of making a n evil plan falls on none but the one who makes it. In other words, a person who wishes evil for others, he himself falls a victim to it.
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A doubt may arise a t this point. It is commonly seen in this worldly life that someone with a n evil plan gets away with it and the loss intended for anyone stands inflicted on him. The answer to this has been given by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi by saying that the pain or loss inflicted on such a person was a loss limited to this mortal world, while the loss to be the fate of the maker of such evil plan in the Hereafter was not only heavier, b u t w a s more lasting too. So, if compared, h i s worldly loss amounts to nothing. There is another answer given by some elders who say that there are

Siirah Faf ir :35 : 42 - 45

359

occasions when t h e curse of contriving against someone innocent or inflicting injustice on him, more than often, falls on the person causing it, right here i n t h i s world a s well. Muhammad Ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi said: There are three things the doer of which does not remain safe against its curse and punishment even in this world. These are: (1) Causing harm or pain to some innocent person by engineering evil a g a i n s t h i m . (2) Inflicting any injustice. (3) Breaking of pledge. (Ibn Kathh) Particularly so, when things like t h a t are done against a person who is helpless or does not have t h e power to avenge or elects to endure despite having t h a t power. Experience bears out that no one who does things like t h a t has ever remained unaffected by the curse of injustice thus inflicted even in this world. Hence, t h e outcome will be t h a t t h e element of restriction (Hasr) visible here appears in terms of a majority rule and not in any absolute sense. Allah knows best.

YZ Sin [I] By the Qur'Zn, that is full of wisdom, [2] You are truly one of the messengers, [3] on a straight path
1.Today, when I am beginning the T f i of SiirahYZ S h , this is the ninth day of the month of Safar. asr

On the same day in the Hijrah year 1355, my respected father, MaulZG MuhammadEsin, may Allah have mercy on him, had died. His association with the name ofthis Siirah and the date of his death revived fond memories of him. Generous readers are requested to pray for the forgiveness of this humble writer and his parents, and should someone have the heart to recite SiirahYX Sin and pray for the transmittal of its thawZb to them, then, Sub&nallah, it wll be so nice of them. - the author.

[4], ( t h i s Qur'Zn being) a r e v e l a t i o n f r o m t h e AllMighty, the Very-Merciful, [5] so that you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned, and hence, they are unaware. [6] The word has indeed come true about most of them, so they will not believe. [7] Surely We have placed iron collars on t h e i r necks, so t h e y a r e reaching upto their chins, and their heads are forced to remain upraised. [8] And We have placed a barrier i n front of them and a barrier behind them, a n d (thus) they are encircled by Us ; so they do not see. [9] And it is all equal for them whether you warn them o r do not warn them, they will not believe. [lo] You can (usefully) warn only the one who follows the advice and fears the RahmZn (the All-Merciful) unseen. So give him the good news of forgiveness and of a noble reward. [ l l ] Surely We will give new life to the dead, and We are recording whatever (deeds) they send ahead and whatever effects they leave behind. And every thing is fully computed by Us in a manifest source-book. [12]

Commentary The Merits of Sirah YZ Sin

Sayyidna Ma'qil Ibn YasZr & narrates that the Holy Prophet % said: 3791 3 ; ( SGrah E Sin is the heart of the Qur'Zn) and some i : words of this HadTth tell us t h a t a person who recites SITrah YZ STn exclusively for the sake of Allah and the 'Akhirah is forgiven, and that it should be recited over the dead among us (reported by Ahmad and Abii D Z e d
and a n - N a s z and Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim and others - a s i n R&-ul- M a h ? and al-Mazhari).

Imam al-Ghazzali said that one reason for calling SGrah E Sin the heart of the Qur'Zn could be that, in this SGrah, themes relating to the Day of Judgment and the Resurrection have appeared with particular details and eloquent presentation. Then, out of the principles of faith, there is the belief in the Hereafter, something on which depends the soundness of human deeds. The fear of the Hereafter makes one ready for good deeds and this is what stops one from indulging in desires that are impermissible and things that are unlawful. So, the way soundness of the body depends on the soundness of the heart, similarly the soundness of the faith ('ImZn) depends on the concern for the Hereafter (RGh). And the way Y 5 Sin is a well recognized name of this SErah, it is named in a HadTth also as 'Azlrnah (reported by Abii Nasr as-Sajazl from Sayyidah 'x'ishah

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1915. H,).And according to another Hadith the name of this SGrah ha.s appeared in Torah a s (Mu'immah), that is, a Siirah that universalizes its blessings in worldly life and in the Hereafter for its readers, and the name of its reader has been given a s Ash-Shar3, and it was said t h a t his intercession on the Day of Judgment will be accepted for a number of people that would exceed the number of people in the tribe of Rabi'ah (reported by Sa'ld Ibn Mansur and al-Baihaqi from Hassan Ibn 'Atiyyah) a n d i n s o m e n a r r a t i o n s , i t s n a m e h a s a l s o b e e n c i t e d a s : LIZ.. (mudEfi'ah) t h a t is, it removes misfortunes from its readers, while some others mention it by the name G$ (QZdiyah) that is, the caretaker of needs (R$-ul- MaZn;).

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And n a r r a t i o n of SayyidnZ AbG D h a r r al-GhifZrT & s a y s : T h e reciting of SErah YZ Sln near a dying person makes the ordeal of death easy on him (reported by ad-Dailami and Ibn Hibban - Mazharl). And SayyidnZ 'AbdullZh Ibn Zubayr & said: Whoever puts SErah Y 5 Sin ahead of his need, his need is fulfilled (reported by al-Mahamili in his 'Amali - Mazhari) And YahyE Ibn Kathlr said: Whoever recites Siirah YE Sin i n t h e morning will remain happy until evening and whoever recites i t in the evening will be happy until morning a n d h e said t h a t t h i s t h i n g was confided to him by a person who had experienced it (reported by Ibn al-Faris Mavhari).

YE Sln (>*): According to the well-known position concerning this word, i t i s one of t h e 'isolated l e t t e r s ' ( a l - h u r u f - u l - m u q a t t a Z t ) t h e knowledge of which rests with Allah alone. Hower, Ibn-ul- 'Arabi h a s reported that Imam MZlik has said that it is one of the names of Allah. And a narration from SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs & also says that it is one of the Divine Names. And according to another narration, t h i s is a word from the Ethiopian language that means: '0 human person' and denotes And, it is gathered from a saying of the person of the noble Prophet SayyidnE Ibn Jubayr & that the word: YZ Sin is the name of the noble I t appears in REh-ul-Ma'Zni that giving the Holy Prophet Prophet a name composed of these two elegant letters - YZ and Sin - h a s great secrets behind it.

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About Giving someone the name: 2(5 Sin: written as E s i n ) : Imam MZlik does not like to name a person as f i s h for the reason t h a t , according to him, i t is one of t h e Divine Names a n d i t s exact meaning remains unknown. Therefore, it is possible t h a t i t may have some meaning that is exclusive to Allah Ta'ZlZ, and nobody is allowed to have t h a t n a m e , for example: (al-khaliq: T h e Creator), (ar-raziq: The Provider-Sustainer) and other names of this nature. Still, if this word is written with a script that reads: (Yasin), it is permissible to . give that name to a human being, because the Qur'Zn says: & 3'1J i ; ? (Peace on IlyZsTn or A1 YZsin) (Ibn al-'Arabi). T h e well recognized r e n d e r i n g (qira'ah) of t h i s verse is: Ad! (ilyasin) b u t , i n some renderings, it also appears as: JI (Zl-yasn). > -- s,, , The word: $47 (fathers) in verse 6: ; I L: L> + (so that you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned) means the Arabs. The sense is that no warner, that is, a prophet, has come to their ancestors since a long time, the reference being to the ones nearer among them. Since the coming of their patriarch, SayyidnZ Ibrahim and with him, SayyidnZ IsmZ'il no prophet had appeared among t h e Arabs for several centuries, even though, the work of calling people to the true faith with warnings and glad tidings kept going on as mentioned in the verse ,s s',,, of the Qur'iin: >& & M; Y! 4 8 a (and there was no community without a 1 ;! warner having passed among them - 35:24) also confirms the same truth that Divine mercy has never kept any nation or community deprived of the essential call and warning a t any time and in any region. But, it is obvious that teachings of prophets when communicated by their deputies do not bring about the same effect as it is witnessed when the prophets do it in person. Therefore, in the present verse, it was said about the Arabs that no warner came to them. As 'a fall out of this situation, there was no regular system of education in Arabia where people could learn and teach which was why they came to be called: (urnrniyyun: the unlettered ones).

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SGrah YZ Sin : 36 : 1 - 12

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of life - t h e way of kufr (disbelief) a n d 'ImZn (faith) a n d t h e way of Jannah (Paradise) and Jahannam (the Hell) - and to give direction and substance to this call of faith, He also sent prophets and Books. I n fact, He went further ahead by giving human beings the choice to first identify what is good or bad for one and then take to either of the two ways. Now if there is that unfortunate person who does neither think, nor ponders over proofs s p r e a d throughout n a t u r e , nor listens to t h e call of t h e prophets, nor deliberates in the Book of Allah, then, once this person has m a d e a choice a n d h a s t a k e n to a way t h u s chosen, Allah Ta'ElZ assembles for him everything h e needs to achieve t h a t end. One who embraces t h e wont of disbelief, for h i m t h e s u p p l y of t h i n g s a n d circumstances that would increase his disbelief never r u n short. This is ,,' ,, ',,< > s, Y 33 9 1+ (7) which means what has been expressed as: , , that against most of these people, because of their choice of the evil, the decisive verdict of Allah - t h a t they a r e not going to believe - already stands pronounced.
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Given next is a similitude of their condition by saying t h a t they look like people whose necks have been shackled in a manner that causes their faces and eyes stay upraised rendering them totally unable to see their way on t h e ground. If so, i t is obvious t h a t one cannot r e m a i n safe against the likelihood of falling down into some ditch or abyss. Then comes another similitude. I t was said that it is like a wall having been placed a s a barrier all around someone. T h u s surrounded, t h i s person becomes unaware of what is going on outside. Similarly, these infidels a r e surrounded by their ignorance a n d , on top of i t , by their hostility a n d doggedness. Under these conditions, i t is a s if t h e t r u t h present elsewhere simply does not reach them. Imam RZzi h a s said t h a t t h e r e a r e two kinds of b a r r i e r s a g a i n s t perception. One barrier is of the kind that prevents one from seeing even himself. The second barrier is the inability to see one's surrounding. For t h e disbelievers, both kinds of barriers against seeing t h e t r u t h were present. Therefore, the first example is that of the first barrier, that is, one who cannot bend his neck to lower his eyes cannot see even his own self or the state in which he exists. Then the second example is that of the second barrier that stops one from seeing his surrounding. ( R 3 - u l - MaZni)

The majority of commentators have declared the present verse to be a similitude of their disbelief and hostility only. And some commentators, on the basis of some narrations, have taken it to be the description of an event, that is, Abii J a h l and some others, bent on killing or hurting the Holy Prophet ' $!$, $ lunged towards him but Allah Ta'ZlS cast curtain over their eyes. Thus, rendered helpless, they went back. Many similar events h a v e b e e n r e p o r t e d i n b o o k s of T a f s i r , s u c h a s , I b n K a t h l r , REh-ul-Ma'Zni, al-Qurtubi, MazharI and others. But, most of these are weak narrations. The Tafsir of the verse cannot be based on such sources. I n verse 1 2 , by saying: isq, 3 y 3 ( a n d We a r e recording whatever (deeds) they send a h e a d a n d whatever effects t h e y leave behind.), the doing of deeds has been equated with 'sending ahead' to point out that good or bad deeds done in the mortal world have not gone t h e way of a l l flesh r i g h t h e r e . I n s t e a d of t h a t , t h e s e w e r e t h e i r wherewithal, t h e i r baggage t h a t h a s gone a h e a d of t h e m to t h e i r destination in the next world that they have to confront. Now, if these deeds were good, they will make them look handsome in Paradise, and if they were bad, the embers of Hell will be their fate. The real purpose of 'recording' these deeds is to keep them preserved. Writing too is a means of doing that, so that there remain no probability of error, forgetfulness, increase or decrease.
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The effects of deeds are also recorded like the deeds themselves
The terse statement: ?;dl; (~ua 'atharahum: and their effects) in Verse 12 means t h a t t h e way deeds done by them a r e written, so a r e t h e i r effects too. T h e word: ,L;S ( 5 t h Z r : traces, or effects) d e n o t e s f r u i t s , outcomes and consequences that show up later and keep surviving. For example, someone helped people learn their religion, told them about its injunctions or wrote a book for to enable them to get the best out of their f a i t h , or i n s t i t u t e d some s o r t of endowment t h a t t u r n e d o u t to b e beneficial for people after him and, for that matter, did something that brought benefit to common Muslims, then, as far a s the effects of this good deed remain, and a s long as they bring fruits, they all will continue to be written in his Book of Deeds. Similar is the case of bad deeds, the evil fruits a n d effects of which continue to remain i n t h e world. For example, someone instituted oppressive laws, or institutions t h a t tend to corrupt the human deeds and morals, or made people follow the way of

error and evil, then, a s far as and as long as the evil outcomes of his deed keep taking shape, these will continue to be recorded in his Book of Deeds - as it has been said by the Holy Prophet himself while explaining this verse. Narrates SayyidnZ Jarir Ibn 'AbdullZh al-Bajali & t h a t the Holy Prophet @ said:

"Whoever started a good practice, he will have its reward, and the reward of whoever acts in accordance with it after him, without the least decrease in the reward of others acting upon it. And whoever started a bad practice, on him shall be its sin along with the sin of whoever acts in accordance with it after him, without the least decrease in the sins of others acting upon b it" - Ibn Kath;r from Ibn A T Hatim. The word: (Gthar: traces or effects) is also used in the sense of footprints. As in Hadlth, when one walks to the Masjid, one good deed is recorded a t every step he takes. Some HadTth narrations seem to indicate that the word: ,L"S (EthGr: traces) appearing in this verse refers to these very footprints. The way the reward of SalZh is written down, similarly, on every step taken while going for SalZh, one good deed is recorded. At this stage in his Tafsir, Ibn Kathir has put together all narrations that mention that there were many people in Madlnah whose homes were a t some distance from the Prophet's Masjid. They thought of setting up their homes closer to the Masjid. The Holy Prophet @ told them not to do that. He advised them: Live where you do. When you walk in from afar, do not take this time to have been wasted. The more your steps, the more shall be your reward. There could be a possible doubt here i n t h a t t h e present Stirah is Makkl, while the event mentioned in these HadTth belongs to Madinah. This could be answered by saying that the verse might a s well be in its general sense - that is, the traces of deeds are also written - and that this verse may have been revealed i n Makkah. But thereafter, when this event came to pass in Madinah, he mentioned this verse in support. Then he counted footprints too within the effects a n d traces t h e writing of' which h a s been mentioned i n this verse of t h e Qur'Zn. This way the

Siirah YZ Sin : 36 : 13 - 32 And cite to them the example of the People of the Town, when the messengers came to it, [13] when We sent to them two (apostles), and they rejected them both, so We supported them with a third one. So they said, 'We are sent to you. " [14] They (The people of the Town) said, " You a r e no more t h a n human beings like us, a n d t h e R a h m a n h a s not sent down any thing. You a r e b u t telling a lie." [15] They ( the messengers) said," Our Lord knows t h a t we a r e undoubtedly sent to you. [16] And our obligation is no more than to convey the message clearly." [17]They (the People of the Town) said," We take you as a bad omen for us. If you do not desist, we will certainly stone you, and you will be subjected to a painful punishment from us. [18]They said, 'Your bad omen is with yourselves. (Do you take it as bad omen) if you a r e given a good counsel? Rather, you a r e a people who cross all limits." [19] And there came a man rushing from the farthest part of the city. He said, " 0 my people, follow the messengers. [20] Follow those who do not claim any reward from you, and they are on the right path. [21] And what excuse do I have if I do not worship the One who has created me and to whom you will be returned? [22] Shall I adopt those gods besides Him that if the RahmZn intends to do harm to me, their intercession cannot help me in the least, nor can they come to my rescue? [23] In that case, I will be in open error indeed. [24] Undoubtedly I have believed in your Lord; so listen to me." [25] ( Thereafter when his people killed him,) itiwas said to him, " Enter the Paradise". He said," Would that my people knew [26] how my Lord has forgiven me a n d placed me among the honored ones!" [27] And We did not send down to his people any army from the heavens after him, nor were We ( in need ) to send down. [28] It was no more than a single Cry, and in no time they were extinguished. [29] Alas for the slaves (of Allah)! No messenger came t o them, but they have been mocking a t him. [30] Did they not see how many generations We have destroyed before them who will not come back to them? [31] And all of t h e m a r e b u t t o be assembled together ( a n d ) t o be arraigned before Us. [32] Commentary
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used to prove something by giving the example of a similar thing. The following event h a s been narrated by t h e Holy Qur'iin to alert people against disbelievers who rejected the very notion of there being a prophet or messenger.

The town in which this event took place The Qur'iin does not tell u s t h e n a m e of t h i s town. I n historical narrations, M u h a m m a d I b n IshZq h a s reported from Sayyidnii I b n 'Abbiis &,Ka'b Ahbiir and Wahb Ibn Munabbih that it was the town of AntZkiyah (Antioch) and majority of commentators have opted for it. Abii Hayyiin and Ibn Kathir have said that no statement counter to i t has been reported from any of the commentators. According to details given in Mu'jim-ul-BuldZn, Antskiyah is a well-known town of Syria, famous. for its verdant growth and stability. Its fort and its protective wall a r o u n d t h e town are considered ideal. The town has many churches with inlay work in gold and silver. This is a coastal town. During the Islamic period, it was conquered by the famous SahZbi Sayyidnii Abii 'Ubaidah Ibn JarrZh &. E q U t al-Hamawi, the author of Mu'jim-ul-BuldZn has also written that the grave of Habib NajjZr (whose story appears a little later in this verse) is a known site in AntZkiyah. People from far and near come to visit it. From this clear statement from him also, it seems likely that the town mentioned in this verse is this very town of AntZkiyah.
Ibn Kathir has written that AntZkiyah is one of the four major towns which have been deemed to be the centers of the Christian faith, that is, al-Quds, (Jerusalem), Rumiyyah (Rome), Iskandariyyah (Alexandria) and AntZkiyah (Antioch). And he also said that AntZkiyah is the first city al-Masih I t is on that embraced the faith brought by SayyidnZ ' 7 s ~ this very ground that Ibn Kathir is reluctant in accepting t h a t the town mentioned in this verse could be the famous town of AntEkiyah - because, according to t h e explicit statement of t h e Qur'Zn, t h i s w a s a town of disbelievers who refused to accept a n y prophet or messenger. And according to historical accounts, they were idolaters and polytheists. If so, how can Antiikiyah, that was foremost in welcoming and embracing the faith of Sayyidnii ?sii al-MasTh be the town referred to here?

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In addition to that, it is also proved from the cited verses of the Qur'iin that this whole town was hit by a punishment that left no one alive. No such event about the town of AntZkiyah - that all its inhabitants had

simultaneously died a t some t i m e - h a s been r e p o r t e d i n h i s t o r y . Therefore, according to Ibn Kathir, either the town mentioned i n this verse is some town other than AntZkiyah, or that it is some other town bearing the same name of AntZkiyah which is not the famous town of AntZkiyah. Though, the author of Fath-ul-Mannan has also given answers to the doubts expressed by Ibn Kathir, however, the easiest way out has been offered by MaulZnZ Ashraf ' 4 7 ThZnav; in Tafsir BayZn-ul-Qur'iin. To understand the subject of these verses of the Qur'Zn, he says, it is not necessary to determine t h e location of this town, a n d since t h e noble Qur'Zn h a s kept i t ambiguous, there is just no need to exert so much effort to determine it. The famous saying of the early forbears of Islam G (Leave ambiguous t h a t which Allah h a s left t h a t : hi ambiguous) also requires nothing but this. ,> r ; , * In the next sentence of verse 13: by& $1 - ;i! ;$YI b;i$ ai the messengers came to it ... - 1 ) The 3. text has briefly mentioned the coming of messengers to the town. The number of the messengers sent has been identified in verse 14: i G ;ii! ! 3$: $1 (when We sent to them two (apostles), and they rejected them both, so We supported them with a third one. So they said, "We a r e sent to you".) This shows that three messengers were sent to the said town. First came two, the people of the town rejected them and refused to listen to t h e m . Then Allah Ta'ZlZ strengthened them by sending t h e third messenger. After that, all three addressed the people of the town, telling them that they had been sent to guide them to the straight path.
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What does 'messenger'mean? Who were these people? In the Qur'Zn, the word: JyJ (rasul: messenger) and: Ap (mursal: sent) is generally used for a prophet or apostle of Allah. In this verse, Allah Ta'ZlZ has attributed their sending to Himself. This too indicates that they are prophets who have been sent to accomplish some mission. This is what Ibn IshZq reports from SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs &,Ka'b AhbZr & and Wahb Ibn Munabbih. According to the reports, these three elders mentioned as the ones sent to this town were the prophets of Allah. Their names as given in this narration are SZdiq, SadGq and Shalum, while in another narration, the name of the third appears as Sham'En. (Ibn Kathir)

And it has been reported from Sayyidnii QatZdah that the word: (mursaliin: sent ones) has not been used here in its technical sense, instead, it appears in the sense of a bearer of message, and the three elders who were sent to this town were no prophets themselves, rather, were from among the disciples of SayyidnZ ?SZ and were sent for the guidance of this town under his order (Ibn Kathir). And since their sender, SayyidnZ 'TsZ W l w a s a messenger of Allah, therefore, i n a way, his sending was indirectly the sending of Allah TaLZ15.Hence, his sending has been attributed to Allah Ta'ZlZ. Out of the commentators, Ibn Kathlr has opted for the first saying while al-Qurtubi and others have gone by the second. From the apparent sense of the text of the Qur'Zn too, it is generally gathered that these blessed souls were prophets of Allah. Allah knows best.

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(tatayyur) in verse 18: &L+ L! I$ (We take you a s a The word: bad omen for us.) means the seeing of a n evil omen in someone or taking someone to be wretched. I t is being said here that the people of this town did not listen to these blessed souls sent to them and chided them as being wretched or carriers of misfortune. I t appears in some narrations that a famine h a d overtaken t h i s town, because t h e people of t h e town had curtly turned down the good counsel of the messengers. That is why the people of the town called them wretched, or may be they were hurt in some other way. So, a s is the common habit of disbelievers, they would hasten to attribute any distress t h a t afflicts them to prophets a n d t h e righteous who are nothing but their guides and benefactors. Hence, in this case too, they lost no time and attributed their own wretchedness to these blessed elders. This happens to be similar to what has been said in the Qur'Zn about the pedple of SayyidnZ MGsZ d I$ WIp cG'liji '" ' ' ,S ,,, , I > I S s - * , * , > I > I , . 3!9 (SOwhen something good come to them 4~ 3 9 2 ~ ;L+ lj&I they said, "This is 'our right". And if they suffered from something evil, they ascribed it a s a n ill omen to MGsZ a n d those with him - 7:131). said to him: 3 G;j Similarly, the people of SayyidnZ SZl* (They said, "we regard you and those with you as a sign of bad omen". 27:47).

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The sense of the statement: pt-' $>d I$ (They said, "Your bad omen is with yourselves - 19) is t h a t misfortune is a n outcome of your own

deeds.' The word: j ; i (ta'ir) essentially denotes bad omen or misfortune and, on occasions, it is also used to refer to the effects of misfortune, that is, wretchedness. Here, this is what it means. (Ibn Kathir, Qurtubl)

i:; ; there came a ; L (And In verse 20, it was said: & Ggi man rushing from the farthest part of the city.) In the first verse (13), the place where this incident transpired was expressed as: 4 i (al-qaryah: g town) which, according to t h e Arabic lexical usage, does not signify a small village, instead, it means a habitation in the absolute sense. It may be a small habitation or a big city. Now, in this verse, this place has been identified as: 641 (al-madinah), a name used only for a big city . From here, we learn that the habitation where this event took place was some big city. Hence, this too supports the saying where it has been identified (aqsal-madinah: farthest part of as AntZkiyah. The expression: 4 4 1 the city) means outskirts of the city. The word: bas%: rushing) in the , z * ,, phrase: J=-, has been derived from: & (& (run) which means to walk in a running gait. Therefore, the expression would mean that a man came running from the farthest part of the city. Then, there are occasions when this word is also used in the sense of walking with concern, poise and sense of purpose to be accomplished - which may not include running - as in SGrah Al-Jumu'ah: 41 J 3- ! (fas 'aw ilE dhikril-lEh: hasten for the remembrance of Allah (Khutbah and SalZh of Jumu'ah) - 62:9). Here, this very sense is intended.

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T h e e v e n t r e l a t i n g t o t h e p e r s o n c o m i n g f r o m t h e f a r t h e s t p a r t of t h e city The noble Qur'Sn has left this too a s ambiguous. I t does not mention his name, nor does it say who he was. As part of historical narrations, Ibn Ishaq has reported from SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs, Ka'b al-AhbZr And Wahb Ibn Munabbih t h a t t h e n a m e of t h i s person w a s Habib. T h e r e a r e different sayings about his profession. The most famous is the one that says that he was a carpenter. (IbnKathir). Other historical narrations reported by commentators a t this stage tell us that this person too was initially a n idolater. He happened to meet the two messengers who came to this town the first time. I t was either as a result of their teachings or, as it appears in some narrations, by seeing extraordinary working of wonders a t their hands, his heart was lit with faith. He repented from past idolatry, embraced Islam and retired to a

cave devoting to worship. When he got the news that the people of the city have rejected the teachings of these messengers, have become hostile to t h e m a n d w e r e t h r e a t e n i n g to kill t h e m , h e c a m e t o h i s people prompted by the mixed objectives of his concern for their good a s well as the safety of the messengers. He advised them to follow these messengers , ,Z'I (1 and declared that he himself had become a believer: o s i $> have believed in your Lord; so listen to me.- 25). The addressee here could be his own people where calling Allah Ta'ZlZ their Lord was to express a reality - though, they did not accept it. Then, it could also be that this ,>. : address is to the messengers and the purpose of saying: 3-b (listen to me) may be that they should hear what he was saying aAd bear witness before Allah that he was a believer.

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(it was said to him, " Enter the Paradise". He said,"Would that my people knew how my Lord has forgiven me and placed me among the honored ones!" - 26, 27), that is, it was said to the person who had come from the farthest part of the city to prompt people to believe in the messengers, "Enter Paradise." It is obvious t h a t this address was communicated through some angel who told him to go into the Paradise. In fact, the essential sense of asking him to e n t e r P a r a d i s e is to give him t h e good news t h a t his place in Paradise is a settled m a t t e r which would t r a n s l a t e into reality a t i t s appointed time after going through the process of Resurrection. ( Q u ~ u b i ) And the possibility that he was shown his place in Paradise a t that very point of t i m e is not so remote. I n addition to t h a t , t h e r e is t h e post-death and pre-resurrection state known as barzakh. I n this state of B a r z a k h too, people bound to go to P a r a d i s e a r e t r e a t e d well w i t h provision of comfort from Paradise. Therefore, the arrival of such people in the state of Barzakh is, in a way, virtual entry into Paradise. By the words, "Enter Paradise" a hint is released to suggest t h a t this person was martyred - because, entering Paradise or being enabled to perceive the traces of Paradise can come about only after death. I n historical narratives, i t h a s been reported from SayyidnZ Ibn 'AbbZs and early Tafsir authorities, MuqZtil and MujZhid that this person was HabTb Ibn Isma'il an-Najjar and he is among people who had

believed in our noble Prophet six hundred years before he actually appeared - as it has been reported about the great tubba' (line of kings in Yemen) that he had come to believe in him much before he was born by reading the prophesies of his coming given in past scriptures. The third respected elder who believed in him before he was ordained and gave his call as prophet is Waraqah Ibn Nawfal who has been mentioned i n the HadTth of the Sahih al-Bukhiiri as part of the events t h a t relate to the initial descent of Wahy (revelation). This too is a singularity of the Holy Prophet that these three persons had believed in him before his birth a n d ordainment. This did not come to pass i n t h e case of a n y other messenger or prophet. According to the report of Wahb Ibn Munabbih, this person was a leper. He lived in a house at the farthest gate of the city. For seventy years, he kept praying to his assumed gods that he be delivered from his ailment. By chance, these messengers entered the city of Antiikiyah from that very gate. When he met them the first time, they advised him to shun idolatry and invited him to turn to the worship of Allah TaLZlii all for his needs. He asked them if they had any proof for the correctness of their assertioli. When they answered in affirmative, he told then1 about the disease of leprosy he suffered from and asked them if they could remove it from him. They s a i d , 'We shall pray to our Lord. He will m a k e you healthy.' He said, 'How strange of you to say that. Here I am, praying to my gods for the past seventy years, yet nothing has happened. How can your Lord change my condition in a single day?' They said, 'Our Lord is powerful over everything, while those you have taken as gods have no reality. They can neither bring benefit to anyone nor can they cause loss.' After hearing what they said, this person believed and those blessed souls prayed for him. Allah Ta'Zlii blessed him with perfect health, leaving no traces of the disease he suffered from. Now, his faith became firm, and he promised to himself that he would spend the half of what he will earn in a day i n the way of Allah. When h e heard t h a t people of t h e city were mobbing t h e messengers, h e came running, tried to explain t h a t t h e messengers were true, and that he himself was a believer. The result was that his people charged at them in fury. It appears in the narration of Sayyidnii 'Abdulliih Ibn MasLEd& that with their kicks and blows they martyred them. According to some other narrations, they threw rocks a t

Silrah YZ Sin : 36 : 13 - 32

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them. As for him, even a t a time such as this, when he was being beaten ; mercilessly, he kept saying: 2 2 $ (My Lord, show my people the right way). I t is mentioned i n some narrations t h a t these people martyred t h e t h r e e m e s s e n g e r s a s well. B u t , no a u t h e n t i c n a r r a t i o n m e n t i o n s specifically as to what happened to them. Probably, they were not killed.
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Since this man of piety laid down his life valiantly in the way of Allah, , he was blessed with honor as said in Verses 26 and 27: d, a+ d$ G291 2; &> said, 'Would that my people knew how my I ("He Lord has forgiven me and placed me among the honored ones!"). He was asked to enter Paradise. When he saw the supreme rewards and blessings of Paradise, he remembered his people and wished that if his people could know how generously he was rewarded and what honors were bestowed on him in return for believing in the messengers, perhaps, they too would have believed. This is the wish expressed in this verse.
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The prophetic method of d a c w a h ( p r e a c h i n g ) : Significant guidance for message bearers of Islam
The way t h e t h r e e messengers s e n t to t h i s habitation addressed polytheists a n d disbelievers, the way these blessed souls responded to their harsh remarks and threats, and similarly, the way in which Hablb Najjar, who had believed as a result of the Da'wah of these messengers, addressed his people is something worth repeated consideration, for i t has great lessons for everyone who is serving the cause of religious preaching and public welfare. I n response to t h e honest call a n d advice of these messengers, t h e polytheists had said three things:
1. You a r e human beings like us. Why should we do what you ask us to do?

2. Allah, the RahmZn has not sent any message and book to anyone.
3. You are plain liars.
J u s t think about it. What sort of reply would this hard talk deserve? Particularly so, when it was in answer to words of selfless good counsel?

,,,, ,J, But, imagine what these messengers said. They said no more than: bJ ;$? &!<! (Our Lord knows that we have been sent to you). And they 1 said: 3$1 $!-& i (Our obligation is no more t h a n t o convey t h e message clearly.") which amounts to saying, 'We had a duty to do. This we have done. We have spoken plainly and clearly making the message of Allah clear to you. From this point onwards, the choice is yours - you may or may not accept it.' Nothing in their speech has any reflection of the heated remarks made by their addressees. Indeed, their reply is kind and reflecting goodwill for them.
After that, these people became more aggressive. They said, "We take you as a bad omen for us. If you do not desist, we will certainly stone you, and you will be subjected to a painful punishment from us. (36:lS) The answer that they deserved was: 'You yourself are the wretched ones and this is because of the nemesis of your own deeds.' But, these messengers said it briefly without alluding to their wretchedness openly a n d directly. $>d (Your bad omen is with your selves). Then, In fact, they said: >i([Do you take it they returned to the same soft approach and said: as bad omen] if you are given a good counsel? which amounts to saying: Would you just think about it? Have we done anything against you? What we have done here is no more than give you some good counsel in your interest. Yes, they did make the gravest of their remark when they ,,' , 2 * > , ', said: a>,- ~9 j~ (Rather, you are a people who cross all limits.") which amounted to saying that their remarks were out of context, not limited to what was being said.

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That was a dialogue featuring these messengers. Now, let u s turn to what a neo-believer who responded to the invitation of these messengers has to say to his people. He started by telling his people two things, and t h e n invited t h e m to listen to t h e messengers a n d accept t h e i r good counsel. The first thing he said was: J u s t imagine, here are these people coming to you from a far place only to give you some good counsel. They are taking care of themselves while bearing by the hardships of travel to and stay a t a place that is not their home, yet they are not asking you for anything in return. This is something unusual, and by itself invites an honest person to think. These are selfless people. Why not listen to them? Why not give i t a little thought? The second thing is about what they are saying. And what they are saying is reasonable, pure and simple, just

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and right. If not this, what else could guide anyone to the true path? After that, since the purpose was to warn his people against their error a n d s t r a y i n g , i t w a s said: You have forsaken your C r e a t o r who is powerful over everything and, in His place, you have taken to gods you have carved out yourself, assuming t h a t they will give you w h a t you need. Why does i t not occur to you t h a t they, on t h e i r own, c a n do nothing for you, nor do they have any access to Allah by virtue of which they could ask Him to do what you need to be done? It will be noticed that Habib NajjGr did not attribute all these things to them, rather, gave i t the form of attributing it to his own self, something like saying, 'If I were to do so, it would really be a grave error' and he said: 2 s +I Y ; d; (And what excuse do I have if I do not worship ! the One who has created me...). This he said so that the adversary might not be enraged, rather, should think about it with a cool mind. After that, when his people remained unmoved by his soft pleas, even threatened to kill him, even then, he uttered no word of curse against them, rather, surrendered his life saying nothing but: 23 &I $ (My Lord, show my ; people t h e r i g h t way). F a r too s t r a n g e is w h a t h a p p e n e d a f t e r t h i s oppressed martyr saw the blessings and rewards given to him by Allah in t h e Paradise. Even a t t h a t time, he remembered nobody b u t his own unjust people a n d , still filled with goodwill for them, h e wished t h a t somehow his people were to know how generously h e was welcomed in Paradise - may be, they would abandon their ways of disbelief and started sharing the blessings of Paradise with him! SubhZnallZh, the love and concern for the creatures of Allah run through their blood despite that they are treated unjustly. This is one thing that has changed the destinies of nations, taking them out of the darkness of disbelief and error, and blessing them with a station that even angels envy them.
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I n our time, da'wahworkers have generally abandoned this prophetic way, therefore, t h e i r call a n d communication have lost effectiveness. Betraying anger and making damaging comments against the adversary a r e supposed to be m a s t e r strokes i n lectures a n d sermons while, i n reality, such tactics push t h e adversary to more hardened stances of doggedness and hostility. 0 Allah make us follow the way of prophets and bless us with the good fortune of doing what you like and are pleased with.

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In verses 2 8 and 29, it was said: i ; 3 $ 2 !-& 4--'> LJ>I LJ 31;. ,, ,, &I; L;Lb Y! &K ! 22 lit (And We did not send down to his ; people any army from the heavens after him, nor were We ( in need ) to send down. I t was no more than a single Cry, and in no time they were extinguished.)
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Mentioned here is the Divine punishment that descended upon the people who had rejected the messengers and had beaten up Habib NajjZr until he died a martyr. And regarding the sending of punishment, it was said that Allah did not have to send a n army of angels to seize these people - nor was it the way of Allah to send such a n army, because just a single angel of Allah is enough to destroy the greatest, mightiest and the bravest of nations. Why would he need to send a n army of angels? After that, given there was a crisp description of the punishment coming upon them - it was just a single shrill Cry of the angel, and there they were, all extinguished under its sonic sweep. It appears in Hadlth narrations that the archangel, Jibra'il al-'amin, holding the two sides of t h e city gate, came up with a hard and horrendous Cry, the shock from which proved unbearable for any living soul, and they all succumbed to sudden death. The state of their dying has been expressed through the word: ( k h a m i d u n ) by t h e Q u r ' a n . T h e words: I+L ( k h a m a d a ) a n d >+ (khumud) are used to mean the extinguishing or dying of fire. The life of t h e living depends on energy. When t h i s energy i s not t h e r e , w h a t remains is death. So, 'khamidun' means extinguished, gone extinct, put off.
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Verses 33 - 44

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And a sign for them is the dead land. We gave it life and brought forth grain from it; so from it they eat. [33] And We have placed gardens of date-palms and grapes and caused springs to gush forth therein, [34] so that they may eat fruits thereof, while it was not made by their hands. Would they not then offer gratitude? [35] P u r e (from every fault) is the One who has created all the pairs of whatever the earth grows, and of the humans themselves, and of that which they do not know. [36] And a sign for them is the night. We strip the (cover of) day from it, and they are suddenly in darkness. [37] And the sun is quickly proceeding towards its resting place. That is the designing of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. [38] And for t h e moon, We have appointed measured phases, until i t turned (pale, curved and fine) like a n old branch of date-palm. [39] Neither it is for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outpace the day. And each one is floating in an orbit. [40] And a sign for them is t h a t We boarded their children a t t h e loaded ship, [41] and created for them things similar to it on which they ride. [42] And if We so will, We can drown them; then no one will respond to their cry, nor will they be rescued, [43] unless there be mercy from Us, and (unless) We let them enjoy for a while. [44] Commentary Most of the subjects taken up in Silrah YZ Sin related to signs of Divine power and the rewards and favors bestowed on human beings. These have been harnessed to prove that there is a life hereafter and that

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people need to be firm in their belief in being raised again and having to face t h e Day of J u d g m e n t . I n t h e verse cited above, t h e Divine signs pointed to are, on one hand, clear proofs of His perfect power, while on the other, they serve as mirrors of particular rewards and favors of Allah Ta'ZlZ bestowed on human beings and the rest of creatures. I n this, lie unusual lessons of wisdom. In the first verse ( 3 3 ) , the land on which we live has been cited a s a n example. I t is there, all the time, before everyone., It is physically seen, when rain come down from the sky and pour water over the dry land, that it is revived by the rain which makes it, so to say, live again. The outcome s t a r t s showing up i n t h e form of vegetation, t r e e s a n d their fruits. Mentioned thereafter were streams that were made to r u n below the land and on its surface in order to help the trees grow and survive. It was said: :$ I$G (so that they may eat fruits thereof). I n other words, the purpose of harnessing the entire range of the natural forces of winds, clouds and the land is that people get to eat their fruits. All these things can be observed by seeing with one's own eyes. And everyone knows how to do that. Onwards from here, human beings were alerted to something for which this whole universal system was put into place.

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Growth of vegetation is not an act of man It was said: 6; (wa ma 'amilathu aiydThim: while it was not made by their hands). The majority of commentators have t a k e n t h e letter: i (ma)in this verse for negation which means that 'it was not made by their hands. According to this interpretation, this sentence has a ring of warning given to heedless man: J u s t think about your job a n d t h e labor you put in it. What is your true share in the great blossoming of fruits? Of course, you put the seed in the land, water it, let the earth be soft so that delicate buds sprout without being obstructed by something. But, making a whole tree grow fro& that tiny seed, having leaves and branches shoot out from it and then commission it to produce all sorts of fruits is something totally different. What is your contribution in all these things?
This is the unshared domain of the one who is absolutely powerful, wise and knowing, and this can only be a n act of God. Therefore, human beings a r e duty-bound to derive benefit out of these things, yet they should never forget the Creator and master of whatever there is. Parallel

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to this, there is a verse of SErah Waqi'ah where it was said: a j 7 ; 6 i;~.9 $1 ' , ,',' :, ,,,' "", pi; (Well, tell Me about that (seed) which you sow: Is it 224131 ri + you who grow it, or are We the One who grows? - 56:63-64). The outcome is: 'Even though human beings do not share in the making of these fruits in any way, yet it was Our grace that We created them, made them the owners of the whole range, a s well as taught them the ways of eating and deriving other benefits out of these.'

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The particular difference between human and animal food
Ibn Jarir and some other commentators have not taken the letter (L) ma in: % L (wa ma 'amilath) for negation, rather have read it a s a ; relative pronoun in the sense of: ~ $ 1 (al-ladh;: that which). I n that case, this part of verse 35 would come to mean that all these things have been created, so t h a t they eat fruits therefrom, and also eat that which human hands make, produce or process out of these vegetations and fruits. For example, desserts made from fruit, chutneys and pickles, and the extracts of oil from some fruits a r e the outcome of human effort and processing. This would come to mean that these fruits created by nature are firstly made edible without any functional human input, then Allah Ta'ZlZ has given man the ingenuity to prepare all sorts of delicious and useful things from each single kind of fruit. Thus, creating fruit and giving man the expertise to compound fruit with other ingredients and turn it into a variety of tasteful and useful edibles is yet another blessing from Allah. After having reported this Tafsir of Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir has said that this Tafsir is supported by the phonetic rendering (QirZ'ah) of SayyidnZ 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'Ed & a s well because, t h e word: L& (mimrna) takes t h e place of: L (ma) i n his qira'ah, that is: S9;.4:%L& (mimma 'arnilathu aidihim: from t h a t which their hands have processed). Going into a little detail, it can be said that animals too eat vegetation a n d fruits. Some e a t meat. Some others e a t soil. But, they all feed on simples. The grass eater eats grass only. The meat eater eats meat only. Preparing different kinds of food by combining a variety of ingredients whereby the addition of salt, chilies, sugar and the sour makes food turn into tens of kinds happens to be the singularity of human beings alone. They alone have been given the ability to put different edibles together a n d come o u t w i t h a m e a l t a s t i n g different from t h e o t h e r . This is

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ingenious. The preparation of meat with salt and seasonings and fruits with sweeteners is a culinary a r t Allah Ta'ZlZ has taught human beings to use to their advantage. The text, after recounting the substance and design of these g r e a t Divine blessings i n these verses, concludes by , ,,' ' saying: 3 , s % (afala yashkurun: Would they not then offer gratitude?) which m e a n s t h a t even after having seen all t h e s e t h i n g s how is i t possible from a reasonable person that he does not be grateful to Allah? Onwards from here, after having mentioned land produce and climate, human beings and animals have been included in the spectrum whereby there appears yet another sign of the absolute Power: ~ I U Y ~ j231,, , , 2,g,,',l 4 L; (Pure is the One who has created all JY a- Y + Y I &; the pairs of whatever the earth grows, and of the humans themselves, and of that which they do not know. - 36:36). Here, the word: j l j j (azwZj) is the plural form of: cj; (za~uj) and means pairs. A pair is two things of t h e s a m e kind a n d refers to a couple, or a match of t h e o t h e r . For example, a married man and woman is a pair, hence, each one of them is the zawj of the other. Similarly, males and females of animals are pairs. In the botanical kingdom, many trees have been found as having males and females among them. Date palms and Papaya are common examples. Others may also be like these as is the case with all trees bearing fruits a n d flowers i n which, according to modern scientific i n f o r m a t i o n , procreation has been identified. I n the same way, i t is not improbable if the same arrangement of male and female exists in solids, minerals and other elements of creation, though in a manner not discovered a s yet , ,',, ' towards which the text points out in: ;)+Y & (mimmZ la ya 'lamiin: and from that which they do not know - 36). Generally, commentators refer to: c; (azwZj: pairs) a s categories a n d kinds because t h e way male and ii ; female are called pairs, similarly, two contrasting things are also referred to as pairs, like chill and heat, land and water, sorrow and happiness, health and sickness, then, within each of these, many further degrees, categories a n d kinds come up i n terms of high, low a n d t h e average. Similarly, t h e r e a r e many categories a n d kinds i n h u m a n beings a n d animals in terms of color, form, language and way of life. The word: Ci;j (azwZj: pairs) is inclusive of all these categories and kinds. I n the present , " verse (36), mentioned first is: >,Yl w-& (all the pairs of whatever the earth grows,) - These are the categories and kinds of vegetation. After that, in: &i j (and of the humans themselves,) mentioned there are
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the categories and kinds of human selves as such. And after that, in: 9 & 2% ( a n d from t h a t which t h e y do not know) included t h e r e a r e thousands of such creations a s have not yet unfolded before h u m a n beings. Allah Ta'ZlZ alone knows how many categories and kinds of living forms, vegetation and minerals exist under the layers of the earth and in rivers and in mountains. In verse 37, it was said: ;@I & $1 & 9; (And a sign for them is the night. We strip the [cover ofl day from it, and they are suddenly in darkness.). After having described the signs of Divine power in what was created on the earth, the text mentions cosmic creations. The word: $2 (salkh) literally means to skin. If the skin from a n animal or the cover from things is removed, the thing inside becomes obvious. Allah Ta'alZ has, in this similitude, pointed out that the real element in this world is darkness. Light is transitory, for it spreads over the earth through planets and stars. In a predetermined system, a t a fixed time, this light that is spread over t h e darkness of t h e world is removed from on top. W h a t remains is darkness. This, in common parlance, is called night.
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In verse 38, it was said: , $$ .$A,L @ i _ j j& ,, , j (And the sun is quickly proceeding towards its resting place. That is the designing > of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. 36:38). The word: (mustaqarr)is used to denote place of rest a s well as time of rest, t h a t is, it could be time-oriented and, space-oriented too. Then, this word is also employed in the sense of the end or destination of a course or journey - even if another journey begins immediately after i t without any break or stillness ( a s

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mentioned by Ibn Kathir).
*'' , , Some respected commentators have taken the word: (mustaqarr) a t this place a s a time-oriented destination, that is, when the s u n reaches the end of its movement already determined - and that time is the Day of Doom (the Qiyamah). '1n the light of this Tafsir, the verse would mean that the sun is moving on its orbit supported by such a precise and perfect system that does never betray the difference of even a minute or second. Thousands of y e a r s h a v e passed over t h i s orbit. But, a l l t h i s i s not everlasting. There is a particular point in time and space for it. When t h a t is, arrived at, this solar system and the movement will stop, end - and that is the Day of QiyZmah. This Tafsir has been reported from QatZdah &

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And a verse from Siirah Az-Zumar in the Holy Qur'Zn also supports , it, that is, the word: P;I. (mustaqarr) means a time-oriented destination or abode and refers to the Day of QiyZmah. The words of the verse of Siirah az-Zumar are:
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He created the heavens and the earth in His wisdom. He wraps the night over the day and He wraps the day over the night, and He has put the Sun and the Moon under His command, each one of tham moving for an appointed term. (39:5) The statement in this verse is nearly the same a s given in the present verse of Siirah E Sin. Firstly, the alternation of the night and the day has been described through a similitude in terms of common perception Allah Ta'Zl5 puts the cover of night over the day and that of day over the night. Thus, the night and the day have been likened to two covers. The cover of the night is draped over the day and it is night, and the Cover of the day is draped over the night and it is day. After that, it was said that the sun and the moon are both subjugated before Allah Ta'ElZ and are subservient to His command. Each is moving up to a n appointed term. a , $ + The words used i n t h e text are: 3 i (ajalim-musamma) meaning ; fixed term, and the verse means that the movement of both the sun and the moon is not everlasting. When it reaches a certain fixed term, that is, t h e Day of QiyZmah, t h i s movement shall s t a n d t e r m i n a t e d . I n t h e *" , * present verse of Siirah YZ Sin too, t h e word: (mustaqarr) quite obviously means this very fixed or appointed term, that is, a time-oriented point of arrival, destination or abode. I n the light of this Tafsir, neither does t h e sense of t h e verse present a n y difficulty, nor i s t h e r e a n y objection in terms of astronomy and mathematics.

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And some respected commentators have t a k e n i t to mean a spatial destination or abode a s based on t h e following HadTth reported i n the Sahihs of al-BukhZg and Muslim and others from several Sahabah and chains of authority. According to a narration of SayyidnZ Abii Dharr al-Ghifiiri &,once he was present in the company of the Holy Prophet a t the time of sunset. Addressing him, he said, "Abll Dharr, do you know where the sun sets?" Sayyidna Abii Dharr & says that he submitted: "Allah and His

And t h e r e is a Hadith bearing on t h e same subject reported from SayyidnZ 'AbdullZh Ibn Mas'iid & a s well. I t has some additions to the effect t h a t , every day, when t h e s u n reaches b e n e a t h t h e 'Arsh, i t performs a Sajdah a n d seeks permission for t h e next orbit. After t h e permission, it starts the next orbit - until, there will come t h a t day when it will not have the permission to start the next orbit. Instead, i t will be commanded to go back towards where it had come from. I n other words, it would be asked to go beneath the earth from the side of the West, then, return from the same side of the West and rise from the West. The day it happens, it will be the sign of the Day of QiyZmah being absolutely close ~ n dthereafter the doors of 'iman and taubah (repentance) will be closed. , That will be a time when the taubah (repentance) of anyone sunk in sin or the taubah of anyone soaked in shirk and kufr will not be accepted (Ibn
Kathir with reference to 'Abd-ur- Razzaq).

The prostration of the sun: A look into the phenomenon of the sun performing sajdah (prostration) beneath the 'Arsh From these narrations of Hadith, we learn that mustaqarr means a spatial destination, that is, a place where one orbit of the movement of the sun stands completed - and they also tell us that this place is beneath the 'Arsh. Hence, t h e verse would mean t h a t , every day, t h e s u n moves towards a p a r t i c u l a r destination, a n d once i t h a s reached t h e r e , i t performs sajdah before Allah Ta'ZlZ and seeks His permission for the next orbit. Once the permission is given, it begins the next orbit.
But, when seen outwardly, several strong difficulties arise on t h e

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basis of principles laid down by experiments, observations and astronomy.
1. The s t a t e of t h e 'Arsh of RahmZn (generally referred to a s the Divine Throne) a s understood from the Qur'Zn a n d S u n n a h is t h a t i t surrounds all that we know a s the masses of land and expanses of the sky. All these masses and expanses along with planets and stars, without any exception, are enclosed within the 'Arsh - and the 'Arsh of RahmZn holds this entire cosmic universe inside itself. If seen from this angle, the sun is, in all conditions and a t all times, simply under the 'Arsh. What, then, would be the sense of going beneath the 'Arsh after i t sets?

2. It is common observation that the sun, after it sets a t some place, does rise elsewhere. Therefore, i t s rising a n d s e t t i n g i s a n ongoing phenomenon. What then is the meaning of going beneath the 'Arsh after setting and doing Sajdah?

3. From the apparent sense of the Had?th mentioned above, we learn t h a t the sun, after having reached i t s destination (mustaqarr), pauses within which i t offers Sajdah before Allah and seeks the permission for the next orbit - although, there being no break in the movement of the sun a t any time is a n open observation. And since this rising a n d setting of the sun keeps taking place all the time in terms of different locations, therefore, this pause should also be there all the time a s a result of which the sun should not have any movement any time.
Such difficulties a r e r e l a t e d not only to a s t r o n o m y , b u t also to observations and experiences that cannot be bypassed. Technically, the daily movement of the sun under the arrangement of the celestial sphere and its being positioned in the fourth heaven is a theoretical assumption of Ptolemy t h a t was refuted by Pythagoras. Modern knowledge h a s confirmed t h e e r r o r i n 'the theory of Ptolemy a n d also b r o u g h t t h e soundness of the theory of Pythagoras to the level of certitude. Then there are the space flights in our time and the spectacle of human access to the moon that makes a t least this much certain that all planets a r e in the lower space of the sky, not inside. The verse of the Qur'Zn: @ i;;r (And each one is floating in a n orbit. - E Sin, 36:40) which is to a p p e a r a l i t t l e l a t e r also confirms t h i s view. Since t h i s view is also suggestive of the daily rising and setting a s being from the movement of t h e e a r t h a n d not from t h e movement of t h e s u n , a n o t h e r technical

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difficulty is added to the understanding of the aforementioned HadTth. To understand its answer, it must be borne in mind that to the extent the explanation of the cited verse is concerned, no difficulty out of the doubts and difficulties mentioned above relates to the Qur'Zn. The sense it carries is no more than that Allah Ta'ZlZ has commissioned the sun to move i n s u c h a n organized a n d s t e a d y way t h a t i t k e e p s moving continuously in a single state towards its destination (mustaqarr). If, this destination is taken to mean a time-oriented destination - t h a t is, the Day of Qiyamah - a s in the Tafsir of Qatiiidah, then, it would mean that this movement of the sun shall continue i n a single state right through the last Day of Qiyamah - and shall terminate on that very Day. And if i t were to be taken a s a spatial destination, even then, its destination can be said as being the point in the orbit of the sun, the point from which the s u n s t a r t e d i t s movement a t t h e time of t h e initial creation. When i t reaches that point, one orbit through a day and night stands completed, for this very point is the end of its journey and, once it reaches there, the next orbit begins. As for the precise determination of where lies t h a t point from which this magnificent orbit of the sun started i n eternity, the noble Qur'Zn does not throw human beings into unnecessary debates of this nature, something t h a t does not bring them any benefit, neither in this world nor in the world-to-come. This is a n inquiry of this very nature. Therefore, t h e Qur'iiin h a s bypassed i t a n d d r a w n a t t e n t i o n to t h e essential purpose. That purpose is to put particular aspects of the most perfect power and wisdom of Allah Ta'ZlZ into clear focus. I t was said that the sun is the largest and the brightest sphere of this universe. That too did neither come into existence automatically, nor does it move on its own, nor can it sustain. I n its present movement through days and nights all the time, it moves under the permission and will of Allah Ta'aliii. Any doubt, out of the doubts mentioned above, does not apply to what has been said in the cited verse. However, all these doubts and difficulties in comprehension do arise from the HadTth statement about the sun that soon after its setting, it goes beneath the 'Arsh, performs sajdah and seeks permission to start the next orbit. And this debate sprung up i n relation to this verse for the reason that, in some words of the HadTth, reference has been made to t h i s verse. Answers to these doubts given by experts of I j a d l t h a n d commentators of t h e Qur'En differ. From t h e a p p a r e n t

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connotation of the words there, it is generally gathered t h a t this sajdah of t h e s u n t a k e s effect only once i n a day-night s p a n a f t e r i t s s e t t i n g . Respected writers, who have taken the Hadith in terms of its apparent sense, have laid down three probabilities concerning the setting: (1)That it may refer to the setting in the main part of populated areas, t h a t is, of a place t h e setting of t h e s u n whereat holds good for i t s setting for t h e majority of the population of the world; (2) that it be the setting of the Equator; or (3) the setting on the horizon of Madinah. Thus, the difficulty t h a t t h e setting a n d rising of t h e s u n is a phenomenon which keeps manifesting itself all t h e time, every moment, does not remain t h e r e , because this Hadith is talking about the setting of a particular horizon. But, t h e clear-cut a n d cloudless rejoinder seems to be t h a t which my ,, > > teacher, 'Allamah Shabblr Ahmad Usmani has given in his treatise: >M; (Sujudu'sh-Shams: The Prostration of the Sun) which finds support in the statements of several leading commentators.

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Before one proceeds to understand the presentation, it is useful to first u n d e r s t a n d a m a t t e r of principle a b o u t p r o p h e t i c t e a c h i n g s a n d interpretations. The noble prophets, may peace be upon them, and the Scriptures they bring incessantly invite t h e entire Divine creation to ponder over whatever has been created in the heavens and the earth, and it is from these that they build their argument to prove the existence of Allah Ta'Sl5, His Oneness, Knowledge and Power. But, deliberation in these things is desirable, according to Shari'ah, only to the extent of its relevance to one's worldly and social requirement or religious and other worldly need. Beyond that, the great mass of the creation of Allah is not thrown into the senseless concern of digging into bland philosophical hair splitting and the ultimate reality of things. The reason is that, first of all, t h e r e a l a n d perfect knowledge of t h e u l t i m a t e r e a l i t y of t h i n g s is something scientists a n d philosophers have themselves been unable to find out, despite having spent their entire lives in the pursuit - not to say much about t h e poor masses. Let u s suppose, even if t h i s could be acquired somehow, yet i t fulfills no religious need, nor does i t help to acquire something materially sound and worthwhile, what is the sense of indulging in this unnecessary and wasteful debate? Obviously, nothing but a waste of wonderful years of life and a waste of precious wealth! I t should be borne in mind that the argument of the Qur'En and the

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noble Prophets through the creations in the heavens and the earth and the major changes that occur therein is limited to the extent that could be rationalized by every human beings by virtue of bare observation and e l e m e n t a r y deliberation. Technical refinements of philosophy a n d mathematics that can be resolved by experts in the field alone are not the material on which a n argument of this nature is based, nor are people invited to deliberate i n these. The reason is simple. Believing i n Allah Ta'alZ and acting in accordance with His message is the duty of every human being - learned or illiterate, man or woman, urbanite or villager, dweller of some mountain or island. Therefore, prophetic teachings are synchronized with the level of perception, reason and understanding of common people that need no technical expertise. T a k e t h e e x a m p l e of knowing t h e t i m e s of S a l a h , fixing t h e orientation to Qiblah, a n d knowing the months, years a n d dates. The knowledge of all these things can also be acquired through mathematical computations. B u t , t h e Sharl'ah of I s l a m h a s , r a t h e r t h a n rely on high-tech mathematical calculations to determine any of these things, placed reliance on cQmmon observations. Months a n d years a n d their d a t e s were s e t i n accordance with t h e l u n a r calendar. T h e basis of determining whether the new moon has or has not appeared was declared to be physical observation alone, the seeing of the new moon. The days of fasting and the Hajj were fixed on that very basis. When some people asked the Holy Prophet about the secret behind the waning, waxing and disappearing of the moon and then its rising again, the answer to it q$ $1 j2 (Say: They was given by the Qur'Zn on his behalf: are indicative of time for the people, and of the Hajj - Al-Baqarah, 2:189). In other words, the Holy Prophet $& was asked to tell people t h a t all those changes occurring in the life of the moon are there so that they could find out when the month begins and ends and then find out its dates and determine the days of the Hajj. This answer served them with a warning against their unnecessary and ineffectual question, because no business of theirs, in this world or in the next, hinges on finding the reality behind it. Therefore, they were supposed to a s k only about something t h a t related to either their worldly or other worldly need.

3

After these initial remarks, let us give a little thought to the essential matter before us. Is i t not that, in the cited verses, Allah Ta'ZlZ has, after

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having mentioned some manifestations of His perfect power and infinite wisdom, invited human beings to believe? Of these, mentioned first was , the land that is before us all the time: &;YI & "1; (And a sign for them is the land.- 33). Then, mention was made of how rains made it come alive and the growth of trees and other produce became possible - something L& G>i; L i(We gave it life and brought i c everyone sees and knows: forth g r a m from it.- 33). Mentioned f i r s t a f t e r t h a t w a s t h e daily J , * .,a t, alternation of the night and day: $1 ,+& e'l; (And a sign for them is the night) Mentioned thereafter were planets and stars. Out of these, about *":'.', t the sun it was said: &l $$ @ p;^l jsxl; (And the sun is quickly proceeding towards its resting place. That is the designing of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.- 38). Think about it. The purpose here is to tell that the sun is not moving on its own, not of its volition orpower. Instead, i t is moving i n subservience to t h e One who i s Mighty a n d Knowing, and moving under the predetermined system originated by a n close to the entity with great power and knowledge. The Holy Prophet time of one sunset, had alerted SayyidnZ AbYi Dharr al-GhifEG & to the reality behind it during a question answer interlude with him. He has told him that the sun, a t the time of its setting, performs a Sajdah before Allah Ta'ZlZ beneath the 'Arsh and seeks the permission to s t a r t the next orbit. When it has the permission, it moves as usual and rises from the east in the morning. Its outcome is no more than that the atmosphere of the world goes through a new transformation a t the time of the setting and rising of t h e s u n , something t h a t depends on t h e s u n . T h e Holy Prophet took this moment as suitable to teach human beings their essential lesson that they should not take the sun to be a n independent entity moving of i t s own volition a n d power. I t moves only under the permission and will of Allah Ta'ZlZ. Every time it rises and every time it sets has to be with His permission, for it is subservient to His permission. This very act of moving under the command of Allah Ta'ZlZ has been declared to be i t s sajdah, the act of prostration before i t s creator. The reason is that a Sajdah made by anything happens to be appropriate to its state of being a s the Qur'Zn has itself clearly said: * '; 2% 2 ,$: "Everything [in the creation of Allah] already knows its SalZh [mode of worship] and its tasbih [mode of Divine glorification" - An-NEr, 24:41]. It means that the entire creation of Allah is engaged i n worshipping and glorifying Allah, but each has its own separate way of doing it t h a t has
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already been taught to it just like human beings who have been told how to do their SalZh a n d Tasbih. Therefore, taking the sajdah of the sun to mean that it can take effect only when it places its forehead on some floor like a human being would not be correct. And when it stands clarified from the statements of the Qur'Zn and Sunnah that the Divine Throne, the 'Arsh of the RahmZn, surrounds all heavens a n d s t a r s a n d surfaces, i t is already obvious t h a t t h e s u n is nowhere but under the 'Arsh, a t all times and a t every place. And when experience bears out that the time the sun is setting a t one place, it is also rising a t another. Therefore, no moment of the sun is free of either rising or setting. Thus, the being of the sun under the 'Arsh is also perennial under all states and so is its setting and rising. Therefore, the outcome of the subject mentioned in the Hadith is that the sun, in its entire orbit, remains in the state of prostration (Sajdah) before Allah under the 'Arsh, that is, it moves under His permission and command. And this cycle will stay activated right through the proximity of the last day of the QiyZmah until comes the time for the emergence of the sign that the Qiyamah is very close. When this happens, the sun will, rather than start its next orbit, be commanded to turn back - and then, it will rise from the west. At t h a t t i m e , t h e door of taubah (repentance) will be closed a n d no declaration of faith ('TmZn) or repentance (Taubah) from anyone shall remain acceptable a t that hour. In short, this particularity of the setting of the sun, its passing under the 'Arsh, the making of prostration there and the incidence of seeking permission for the next orbit mentioned in the narration being studied is simply a similitude in consonance with the mores of effective prophetic teaching a n d i n t e r m s of common perception. Neither does i t m a k e i t necessary t h a t i t performs Sajdah on some land surface like a h u m a n being, nor does i t make i t necessary t h a t t h e r e be some pause i n t h e movement of the sun a t the time of making a sajdah, nor does it mean that it goes to some particular place doing only one sajdah during a day and night, and nor that it goes beneath the 'Arsh after setting only. But, a t this time of great alternation, when people are seeing t h a t t h e sun is receding away from them, what has been done is that they have been appraised of the truth of what is happening in the manner of a similitude while the reality is that this whole thing is happening because of the sun

Siirah YZ Sin : 36 : 33 - 44

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moving beneath the 'Arsh in subservience to the Divine command - the sun does not have any capability or power of its own. So, the way, a t this time, the people of Madinah were convinced t h a t t h e s u n would now make its sajdah a n d seek permission for the next orbit, similarly, the message was relayed onwards to every place where t h e s u n would be setting a n d everyone there would stand advised of t h e lesson thereof. Thus, t h e t r u t h of t h e m a t t e r t u r n s out to be t h a t t h e s u n a t every moment while moving on i t s orbit keeps offering sajdah before Allah Ta'ZlZ and keeps seeking permission to move a h e a d - a n d i t needs no pause or break to make Sajdah or seek permission. Following this submission, there remains no doubt concerning t h e Hadith quoted, neither in terms of observations, nor in terms of the rules of astronomy, nor i n t h e l i g h t of t h e position t a k e n by Ptolemy or Pythagoras - though, the latter has found support in newer investigation. In either case, there remains no doubt or difficulty in the comprehension of the said Hadlth. As for t h e question about t h e s u n making S a j d a h a n d seeking permission to start the next orbit as mentioned in the HadTth, where it is stressed that doing all this required life, awareness and reason. The sun a n d t h e moon a r e devoid of life a n d consciousness. How could these actions issue forth from them? An answer to this has already appeared under the verse of the Qur'Zn: :G; - i; & (And there is not a y bi! ~2' ; r single thing that does not extol His purity and praise - Al-'IsrZ', 17:44). (For commentary, please see Maiariful Qur'Sn, English, Vol. V, pp. 506-510). There it was said that things we take to be devoid of life, sense and consciousness do have a special s h a r e of spirit, life, sense a n d consciousness. However, their life, sense a n d consciousness a r e insignificant a s compared with h u m a n s a n d animals, so insignificant t h a t these cannot be perceived commonly. But, t h e r e is no proof for its absence either, neither in the revealed law, nor in reason while the noble Qur'Zn, in the verse cited above, has proved their being possessors of the elements of life, reason and consciousness, something also recognized in new investigations: +I ;L J a;+ i ; And Allah who is pure and High knows best.
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Special Note From these clarifications of the Qur'Zn and HadTth, it is established that both the sun and the moon are in motion, moving for a fixed term.

Siirah YZ Sin : 36 : 33 - 44

396

This refutes the theory that the sun has no movement a t all. The findings of the latest research have also refuted this presumption. , ,,,' ' The text now turns to: &-dl 2 $ J$ ;; 31; for the 6 6% (And moon, We have appointed measired phases, until it turned [pale, curved and fine] like a n old branch of date-palm.- 36:39). The dried bough of a date tree that gets bent like a bow is called: a$> (iLrjZn).

The stages of the moon The word: Jj& (manazil) is the plural of: J$ (manzil) and denotes the place one arrives at. Allah Ta'ZlZ has bound the movement of the sun and the moon both with particular points, each of which is known a s a Manzil or stage. Since the moon completes its orbit in one month, therefore, it has thirty or twenty-nine stages. But, as the moon disappears a t least for a day during every month, therefore, its stages are generally taken to be twenty-eight. Astronomers have given these stages particular names in congruence with the stars that are found in the frontal proximity of these stages. Even d u r i n g t h e days of Arabs of J a h i l i y y a h , s t a g e s w e r e determined by these very names. The Holy Qur'Zn is f a r above these technical names. What i t means to communicate are only the distances the moon traverses during particular days.
Relevant details have appeared in the commentary on SErah K n u s . It can be seen in Ma'ariful-Qur'Zn, English, Volume IV, pages: 515-520. In this verse of SGrah Ytinus 10:5, the stages of the sun and the moon both have been mentioned: J k;%; ; ; I 31; I * & , ;Q &:"[He is the One who] has made the sun a glow and the moon a light, and determined for it the stages - 10:5". The only difference is that the stages of the moon are identified through observation, while the stages of the sun are calculated , ,>' ' 2 6 (until i t t u r n e d [pale, mathematically. By saying: &$I curved and fine] like a n old branch'of date-palm.- 36:39), described there is the state of the moon towards the end of the month when i t recedes from the stage of the full moon to the extent that i t transforms into the shape of a dried old bough bent like a bow. I t is in consonance with the Arab surrounding that it has been likened to a dried bough of the date tree that assumes the shape of a crescent.
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Instead, it means the orbit in which some star moves. This verse has also appeared earlier in Siirah Al-Anbiya' (21:33). It tells us that the moon is not contained within some sky as presumed by the astronomical theory of Ptolemy. Instead, it moves in a particular orbit in the space lower than it. Then, there are recent investigations as well as the human access to the moon that have made it certain. and 42, it was said: xj &I 2 pgs-~lU-L L \ <'I; ; ; i & 2 (And a sign for them is that We boarded their children at $ the loaded ship, and created for them things similar to it on which they ride.). Mentioned earlier to these verses were manifestations of Divine power and wisdom in what was created on the earth and in the heavens in that order. I n the present verses, Divine power over the sea and its adjuncts h a s been mentioned. I t was said t h a t Allah Ta'alZ h a s made heavily laden boats a n d ships capable of sailing on t h e surface of t h e waters and reach distant places without getting drowned in route. Then, it was said in the verse that "We boarded their children a t the loaded ship" - although, those who embarked the Ark were these very people. Perhaps, children were mentioned for the reason t h a t one's children and family place a great burden of responsibility on parents, particularly when unable to move around. Thus, the sense of the verse is to emphasize that it is not only they who were riding the boat, but there also were young children a n d aged men a n d women a n d t h e i r belongings with t h e m . T h e boat carried both, people a n d t h e i r t h i n g s . I n t h e verse , ,,' "'' following immediately (42), it was said: 6 &j & . (and created for them things similar to it on which they ride.- 36:42). I t means that human beings have not only been provided with boats and ships that serve as rides for themselves and carry their things, but Allah has also created other rides like the boat. From this, people of Arabia lave taken it to mean the ride of camels a s habitually familiar to them, phi-ticularly so, because t h e camel is a carrier of things. I t t a k e s heavy ioads across countries, therefore, the Arab called camels: The Boat of the L . ~ n d . I n verse
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Siirah YZ Sin : 36 : 45 - 47

398

our time, t h e invention of aeroplanes h a s made i t amply clear t h a t aeroplanes are the greatest substantiation of the Qur'Znic statement: 2 & (mim-mithlihi:things similar to it). Then, its similarity with boat or ship is strongly supportive of it, because the way the ship of the sea sails on t h e surface of t h e water, a n d t h e mass of water does not make i t drown, similarly, the airplane sails or flies over the bed of air and it does not throw it down. No wonder if the Qur'Zn may have left the statement: d F 2 d d , (mim-mithlihi ma yarkabun: things similar to it that they ,,2 ride) ambiguous, so that all modes of conveyance and transportation that continue to be invented right through the last Day of Qiyamah get to be included therein. And Allah knows best.

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Verses 45 - 47

And (they pay no heed) when it is said to them, " Save yourselves from that (punishment ) which is before you (in this world) and that which will come after you (die), so that you may receive mercy". [45] And there comes to them no sign from the signs of your Lord, but they t u r n averse to it. [46] And when it is said to them, " Spend (to the needy) from the provision Allah has given to you", the disbelievers say t o the believers, " Shall we feed those whom Allah could have fed , if Allah so willed ? You are but in the open error." [47] . Commentary

In the previous verses, through a description of Divine manifestations of power and wisdom in the creation of the heavens and the earth, people were invited to recognize their creator and believe that He alone is worthy of worship a n d , on t h e acceptance of t h i s i n v i t a t i o n , a promise of e v e r l a s t i n g b l e s s i n g s w a s m a d e along w i t h a w a r n i n g of s e v e r e

punishment on i t s rejection. I n t h e present verses a n d i n t h e verses following these, there is a description of the disbelieving people of Makkah who were t h e i r direct addressees a n d who r e m a i n e d unmoved a n d unaffected either when persuaded to do something reward worthy, or when warned against some likely punishment. In this connection, two dialogues between believers and disbelievers have been n a r r a t e d . Believers invite them to fear t h e punishment of Allah that can come before them even in this mortal world while, after their death, it has to come to them in the Hereafter after all. If they, it is said to them, were to believe in fear of this punishment, it would be better for them. But, the disbelievers show their aversion despite having heard all that. This aversion of theirs has not been expressly mentioned here in the words of the Qur'Zn, because the 'I'rZd' or aversion mentioned in the n e x t v e r s e a u t o m a t i c a l l y proves t h e i r a v e r s i o n h e r e too. And i n accordance with the rule of syntax, the apodosis or principal clause of the $ ( i d h u qilu lahurn: When it is said to them) remains condition: elided. The word of the next verse (46) bear witness to this elision, t h a t is, whenever a verse or sign from t h e i r Lord comes to t h e m , t h e y show nothing but their aversion to it. (And that is why the words "they pay no heed" are added in brackets in the translation of this verse above.)

4

The wisdom behind some people receiving their sustenance indirectly In the second dialogue, believers exhort the disbelievers to help the poor a n d needy a n d feed t h e hungry a n d prompt t h e m to give to the destitute from what Allah had given to them. I n their sarcastic response, the disbelievers say: You say that Allah is the provider and sustainer of the entire creation, yet He did not give them anything. Why should we? As for your words of advice to us that we should provide for them, this is nothing but t h a t you have gone astray. Do you want to make u s their Razzaq: Provider? These disbelievers too confessed that Allah Ta'ZlZ was ,, +-, the Provider a s in the Qur'an: & >I ; $ ebb iL ; L I 3 gL ; hi %>. (And if you ask them "as to who sends down water from the sky, t h e n revives t h e land with it, they will certainly say, "Allah". -

sarcastically remarked: When Allah is the Razzaq, the Provider, let Him provide for them too - why should we? This was a s if these dim-witted people thought that giving in the way of Allah and providing for the poor was contrary to Allah's a t t r i b u t e i n being t h e Master-Provider of all sustenance! They just did not understand that a s the absolute Giver and Provider, He has His own wise law operating in this world. By giving to one person, He makes that person a conduit for others and thus gives them indirectly - although, he is perfectly and certainly capable of having everyone's sustenance delivered personally a n d directly, a s is t h e case with a n i m a l s a n d insects where everyone i n t h a t kingdom receives sustenance directly. There is no one rich and no one, poor. No one gives to anyone. Everyone dines from nature's own food spread. But, h u m a n beings are different. I t is to make their system of social living just and to inculcate i n t h e m t h e spirit of m u t u a l help a n d cooperation, t h a t He makes some of them the medium of delivering sustenance to some others, so that the one who spends gets its reward, and the one who receives becomes grateful to the giver. The reason is that this whole phenomenon of m u t u a l h u m a n cooperation a n d help on which depends t h e entire functional order of the world can survive only when one person needs the other. A poor person needs the money a rich person has, and a rich person needs the labor of a poor person. Neither of the two is free of the need for the other - and a little reflection would reveal that nobody is doing a favor to anybody. Whatever a person gives to the other person gives, in the ultimate analysis, in one's own interest and for one's own good. Now, there remains the question: On which basis, did the believers ask the disbelievers to spend in the way of Allah, particularly when they simply did not have the very faith in Allah and, a s the jurists maintain, they were no addressees of the subsidiary injunctions of the Sharyah? The answer to that is clear. When the believers said that, they had no intention to have disbelievers implement some religious injunction, it was said on the basis of the accepted norm of human good will, sympathy and gentleness.

Siirah 5 S i n : 36 : 48 - 68 will say, " Woe t o us! Who h a s r a i s e d u s from o u r sleeping place? " This is what t h e R a h m a n h a d promised, and the messengers had told the truth. [52] It will be no more than a single Cry, and in no time they will all be arraigned before Us. [53] Then, nobody will be subjected to injustice in the least, and you will not be recompensed but for what you used to do. [54] The people of t h e Paradise a r e engaged today i n ( t h e i r ) activities, happily enjoying (them). [55] They and their spouses are in pleasant shades, reclining on couches. [56] For t h e m t h e r e a r e fruits, and for them t h e r e is whatever they ask for. [57] "Salam"(Peace upon you ) is the word ( they receive ) from Merciful Lord. [57] "And get apart (from the believers) today 0 the guilty ones. [58] Did I not direct you, 0 children of 'Adam, that you must not worship the Satan, (because) h e is a n open enemy for you, [60] a n d t h a t you must worship Me, (because) t h i s is t h e straight path? [61] And h e h a d misguided lot many people from among you. So, did you not have sense? [62] (Now) this is t h e J a h a n n a m of which you were consistently warned. [63] Enter i t today , because you have been persistently d e n y i n g ( t h e truth)." [64] Today We will set a seal on their mouths, a n d their hands will speak t o Us, and their legs will bear witness about what they used to do. [65] And had We willed, We would have wiped out their eyes, and they would have been racing towards the way, but how would they see? [66] And had we willed, We would have disfigured them a t their places, and they would have not been able to move , nor would they return. [67] And whomsoever We give long life, we r e v e r s e h i m i n creation. So, do they not have sense? [68] Commentary
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that will seize them - 36:49). The question of the disbelievers quoted here is the one they used to%sk the Muslims by way of mockery, and the real purpose was to deny the Day of Judgment. I t was not asked for finding out the truth, nor a s a serious effort to reach the reality. It was simply a way of taunting the Muslims and making fun of them. And even if it were for finding out the true nature of the event, then, the mercy of the Lord of the universe requires that the full and precise knowledge of the year and day of the coming of QiyZmah should not be given to anyone, so much so that it was not given even to any one from among His noble prophets and

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messengers. Even if this question asked by these dimwit people was no more than a fact-finding exercise on their part, it was patently absurd. Therefore, rather than tell them, in response, the time when Qiyiimah will come, they were admonished. They were told that reasonable people, once they become a w a r e of something t h a t is bound to come i n all certainty, should start making necessary preparations ahead of it, and not go about wasting precious time in trying to find out its precise hour and day. Common sense required that, once they had heard the foreboding of Qiyiimah, they should have believed a n d did what i t t a k e s to achieve success i n t h a t life t o come. B u t , so e n t a n g l e d t h e y a r e i n t h e i r heedlessness that they virtually seem to be waiting for nothing short of the time when the day of QiyEmah comes before them - and then, they would t h i n k a b o u t i t . Therefore, it was said t h a t t h e s e people were waiting for the Qiyamah - while, Qiyiimah will have a scenario of its own, for it would be just one terrible sound of the Horn (SEr) that will seize everyone all of a s u d d e n i n a way t h a t people will be busy i n t h e i r businesses settling their disputes and they all, in this very condition, will lie dead. It appears in HadTth that two men will be engaged in their activity of buying and selling cloth. Stretched before them will be the yardage of the cloth pieces while, of a sudden, Qiyiimah will come - and they would be unable to complete their deal of cloth. Then, there will be someone else busy plastering h i s water t a n k who will fall dead i n t h e s a m e s t a t e (reportedby Abii Nu'aym from SayyidnZ AbE Hurairah & - al-Qurtubi). - *, In verse 50, it was said: s>i. , 2 , 1 J Y; -2 S ! +,,, 'rl, (So they will not be able to make a bequest, nor will they return to their household.), that is, people who a r e gathered there will not have the respite to make a will among themselves to db something on their behalf, and those who are still outside their houses will not find the respite even to go into their houses. They will lie dead in the very state in which they would be a t that time. This is a description of the first blowing of the Horn of the day of Qiyiimah as a result of which the entire gamut of the earth and heavens will be destroyed.
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form of: L G (jadath) which means a grave. And: LG Cyansiliin) is a derivation from: a M ; (nasalan) which means to walk swiftly as it appears , ,,,>', in another verse: + l - b Y l i : a ~ + - (they will come out of their graves i ,><: in haste - Al-Mazrij, 7 ~ 4 3 ) As for what is said in another verse: rG . >',Z a & , (and suddenly, they will stand up, looking around - Az-Zumar, 39:68), it is not contrary to t h a t , for first came the instant of standing up in wonder a n d t h e n came t h e act of racing toward t h e plains of t h e Resurrection. There is no contradiction in between these two. Then, as it is already proved from the verses of the Qur'Zn that the angels will call them to come to the plains of the Resurrection, it becomes clear that the , ' presence of disbelievers on the plain of the Resurrection will not be out of their pleasure, rather, it would be out of compulsion whereby the call of the angels will prompt them to come hastening toward it.
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In verse 52, it was said: L $ j 2 & I$ (They will say, "Woe to us! Who has raised us from our sleeping place?"). Though the disbelievers were already having their punishment in their graves with no sign of any relief, yet this punishment will appear as nothing when compared with the punishing circumstances of the day of QiyZmah, therefore, they will cry out as to why they had to be taken out of their graves, for it would have been better if they had stayed right there. A response to this will come from either the angels or the common believers.
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This response appears immediately next in verse 52: &>I G j L 1b is w h a t t h e RahmZn h a d promised, a n d t h e messengers had told the truth.) - to which they paid no attention. At this place, a choice has been made in using the word: (RahmZn: The Most Merciful) out of t h e many attributes of Allah. I t serves a s a n indicator - as for Him, He had already made elaborate arrangements, in His mercy, that you remain safe from this punishment, and that His act of alerting you in advance through His promise and through His Books and Prophets was, in fact, but a dictate of His attribute of mercy.

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Then, in verse 55, it was said: ;;YI ! &: : (The people ! of the Paradise are engaged today in (their) activities, happily enjoying [them]) - 36:55). After having mentioned t h e worries of t h e people of Jahannam, described here is the state of the people of Paradise on the day of QiyZmah that they will be enjoying themselves. The word: (fikihiin) is the plural form of: y fikih). It signifies happiness of the c

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SiIrah E STn : 36 : 48 - 68

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h e a r t a s well a s h a p p i n e s s o u t of one's s u r r o u n d i n g s . As for t h e 3 (fi shugul) appearing before it, it could also mean that expression: they will be6totally unaffected by the misfortunes afflicting the people of Jahannam (as ssid by some commentators).

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And then it is also possible that, at this place, this expression: 2 (f;' shugul) has been added to remove the thought - when, in Jannah, there will be no religious duty like obligatory or necessary worship, nor the job of earning one's livelihood, would t h i s lack of activity not leave one uptight or bored? - hence, it was said that their enjoyment itself will be their principal activity, and the question of any boredom simply does not arise. Next, in verse 56, it was said: (They and their spouses...). The word: c(j;((azwaJ) as used here includes the HGrs of J a n n a h a s well as wives of the mortal world. The word: (yadda'lin) appearing i n verse 57: ~,LE.+ $ (LUU ; lahum ma yadda'Z2n) is a derivation from: ( l s p (da'wah) which means to call, that is, the thing the people of Jannah will call or wish to have, will come to them. The Qur'iin has not used the word: 5$S Cyas'alEn: they ask) a t this place, because having something after having asked for i t is also a sort of exertion, something the Jannah will be free from, in fact, it will be a place where everything needed will be ready and present
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Siirah Y 5 Sin : 36 : 48 - 68

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the day of Qiyiimah to all human beings, (even to the Jinn). But, the question remains t h a t t h e disbelievers did not generally worship t h e Satan. They worshipped idols or other things. Therefore, how does this blame fall on them? The answer is that submitting before some entity in the absolute sense and to obey that entity in word and deed in everything a n d under all conditions is nothing b u t worship. Since t h e s e people always followed S a t a n i c teachings, therefore, t h e y w e r e called t h e worshipers of the Satan - as said in Hadith that a person who, driven by love for money or spouse, s t a r t s doing everything t h a t would increase wealth or please the spouse, even a t the cost of the displeasure of Allah, is a n obedient servant of the silver coin and the obedient servant of the spouse ('Abd-ud-dirham, 'Abd-uz-zawjah). I n verse 65, it was said: ,&I$ ,+(Today We will set a seal on ,, t h e i r mouths). On t h e day of Resurrection, when comes t h e time to account for deeds, everyone will be free to offer any excuse one has. But, Mushriks, the practitioners of shirk, those who associate partners in the pristine divinity of Allah Ta'als, will declare on oaths that they never had anything to do with shirk and hufr: LL L; (By Allah, our Lord, we ascribed no partners to Allah - Al-An'am, 6:23).
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And some of them will also say that they were free of whatever the angels had written down in their book of deeds. At that time, Allah Ta'ElE will put a seal on their mouths, so that they would not speak. Then, He will give power of speech to their own body parts, the hands and the feet, who will testify to all their deeds as court witnesses against them. As for the present verse, it mention's the speaking of hands and feet only. I n another verse, mentioned there is the speaking of one's ear, eye and skin: >> $ (their ears and their eyes and their skins will p + j yJl$;ij testify against them - 41:20). As for what has been said a t one place: &-.k &i&$ (and their tongues will testify against them - An-mr, 24:24), i t is not contrary to 'putting a seal on their mouths' because putting a seal means that they will be unable to say anything out of their own volition. Their tongue will speak counter to their personal choice and will testify to the truth.
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As for the question how these parts of the body would acquire power of speech, the Qur'iin has already answered that by saying: 541 $1 &i ,, s > 5 23 ( (Why did you testify against us? - 41:20) that is, these parts of

the body will say that Allah, who has given power of speech to all things endowed with the ability to speak, has also enabled us to speak. In the last of the verses cited above, it was said: %I &A OF JJ (And whomsoever We give long life, we reverse him in creation. Do they then not have sense ?). The word: , (nu'ammir: We give a long . $ life) in this verse has been derived from: (ta'mTr) which means to (nunakkishz) is a derivation prolong years of life. And the word: from: (tankis) which means to reverse, invert or turn upside down. In this verse, Allah Ta'ZlZ has described yet another manifestation of His perfect power and eloquent wisdom in that every living being lies under the free will of Allah Ta'ZlZ all the time. The process of nature is going on. The thing s t a r t e d from a lifeless drop. Wrapped with t h r e e layers of darkness i n t h e womb of t h e mother, t h a t which came to be w a s this essence of the universe, and a small world in its own right. Countless was the number of most delicate mechanisms that were embedded into its life form. Then it was made to come alive with the infusion of the spirit. After having been nourished and grown for nine months inside the womb of t h e mother, a perfect h u m a n being came into t h i s world. Of course, perfect it was, but the body i t had was weak. Nature took care of that by placing in t h e b r e a s t of t h e mother food t h a t would s u i t a n infant's physical requirement. This gave it the gradual supply of needed energy. From that time to the time of youth, passed many stages and then came a strong body a t i t s t o t a l bloom. Then came claims of t h e power t h u s acquired and rose the desire to defeat every conceivable adversary. But, that was not the end. When the creator and master of this new aspirant into t h e world decided otherwise, all these s t r e n g t h s s t a r t e d waning. Even t h e decline w a s not sudden. I t took time. T h e r e were countless stages. Finally, came the fag end of the years of life. Once there, just imagine, h a s this person not reached back into t h e stage of one's childhood. Habits started changing. Reflexes became different. Things that used to be the dearest started appearing hateful. What was comfort once turned into suffering. This is what the Qur'Zn calls "tankk," that is, being turned upside down. One trusts what one sees with one's own eyes and what one hears with one's own ears in the life of this world. This too does not remain trustworthy during the later years of old age. Clearly understanding what is being said becomes difficult because one becomes
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h a r d of hearing. T h e s a m e thing happens to t h e s e n s e of s i g h t t h a t becomes weak. One cannot see well enough. The classical Arab poet, al-Mutanabbi has said: , h-i(Lgj*&3 LjZL 4;-.5.& ......72......+-yJ&j~;jil +hp'y, , And for one who lives long in the world, it will turn upside down right before his eyes to the extent that what he saw as truth will start appearing to be a lie. Not only t h a t t h i s major change i n man's frame of existence is a standing manifestation of the unique power of Allah Ta'ZlZ, it is also a great favor to him. I s i t not that all strengths the supreme Creator has placed i n t h e living presence of m a n a r e , i n reality, t h e God-given functional devices issued to him with t h e clarification t h a t they were neither his property nor were they everlasting and that, finally, they will be taken back from him. This obviously required that, once came the time of such t a k e over, a l l such s t r e n g t h s should h a v e been t a k e n back simultaneously. But, the most merciful and sublime Lord has not elected to do that. Instead, He has allowed that these strengths be taken back in installments t h a t too are prominently long and spaced apart. Thus, these are taken back gradually, bit by bit, so that one gets alerted and starts getting ready to embark on the ultimate journey of the Hereafter. And Allah knows best.

Verses 69 - 75

Siirah YZ S i n : 36 : 69 - 75 And We did not teach him (the Holy Prophet) poetry, and it is not proper for him. It is nothing (of that sort) but (it is) a n advice and a readable book that explains (the truth ), [69] so that it warns him who is alive ( to listen to the truth ), and so that the word may prove true against the disbelievers. [70] Did they not see that We have created for them cattle, among things made (directly) by Our hands, then they are their owners? [71] And We have brought them under their control, so as some of them are their means of transport, and some of t h e m t h e y e a t . [72] And for t h e m t h e r e a r e ( o t h e r ) benefits in them and things to drink. So, would they not be grateful? [73] And they have adopted other gods than Allah, so that they may be helped (by them). [74] They cannot help them, rather they (the disbelievers themselves) a r e (like) a n a r m y b r o u g h t f o r t h f o r (protecting) them (the so-called co-gods) [75] Commentary

409

In the first verse cited here, it was said: ' 4 j L j 3 1 L j (And We did not teach him poetry and it is not proper for him.) Since the deniers of the appearance of a prophet and messenger with a mission could not deny the unique effectiveness of the Qur'Zn and its ability to move hearts that was a matter of common experience, therefore, they invented convenient excuses. At times, they would call this Divine Word, some magic and the Holy Prophet @, a magician. Then, on other occasions, they would say t h a t t h i s Word was poetry a n d h e was a poet. By saying t h a t , t h e y wanted to prove that this unique effectiveness did not come out of the Divine Word as such, instead, they were either words of magic or sorcery t h a t made a n impression on h e a r t s , or i t is poetic speech for t h a t too affects hearts. In this verse, Allah Ta'ZlZ said that He did not teach His prophet the art of poetry, nor was it appropriate to his station and saying t h a t h e was a poet, is false and wrong. Here, we have a question. Is it not that Arabs are a people who have poetry i n their blood? Even their women a n d children would compose impromptu lines of poetry. They knew poetry and its reality. How could they say that the Qur'Zn was poetry and the Holy Prophet @ was a poet? On what basis could this be because neither is the Qur'Zn restricted by the compulsion of poetic meter, nor of radif (the unchanging word that

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appears a t the end of the hemistich) and qzfiyah (the changing rhymed word t h a t a p p e a r s before t h e r a d i f ) anywhere i n t h e text? Not even someone who is pathetically ignorant of the mores of poetry would think of calling this poetry. To answer this, it can be said that, essentially, poetry is composed of self-structured imaginary subjects, whether in poetry or prose. By calling the Qur'Zn, poetry and the Holy Prophet %, a poet their purpose was to tell him that the Divine Word he claims to have brought, is no more than imaginary tales. Or, may be, they called him a poet in terms of the well recognized meaning of poetry with a certain congruity i n mind, that is, the effect produced by t h e Qur'Zn is similar to t h e effect produced by poetic compositions. Quoting his own chain of authority, Imam AbG Bakr al-JasGs has reported t h a t someone asked Sayyidah 'A'ishah L+.s c . if t h e Holy ;, Prophet % used to recite some verse of poetry once in a while. To that, she said, "No, however, he once did recite a verse of Ibn Tarfah:

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"The time will reveal to you that which you did not know, and the news will be brought to you by one whom you did not appointed to do so. But the holy Prophet $$ recited this as: CS+ djj i n a manner that broke t h e poetic m e a s u r e . SayyidnZ AbG B a k r & s u b m i t t e d , 'YZ Rasulallah, this verse is not like that.' He said, 'I am not a poet, nor is poetry appropriate for me."' Ibn Kathir has reported this narration in his Tafsir, and at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Imam Ahmad have also reported it. This tells us that he simply did not consider reciting verses of poetry composed by others a s appropriate for him. That he would compose it himself was unthinkable. As for some sentences having the resonance of poetic measure reported from the Holy Prophet himself, they did not issue forth from him with the intention of compo&ng formal poetry. They were casual, and should some one or two lines issue forth from a person t h a t fall into poetic measure, these do not make him a poet. But, from this natural condition of the Holy Prophet % that was based on great considerations of wisdom, it does not become necessary that poetry should be taken a s blameworthy

Siirah E STn : 36 : 69 - 75 i

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in any absolute sense - a s explained under the details of injunctions relating to poetry in our commentary on verse 224 of SGrah Ash-Shu'ara' (26) appearing a t its end in Volume VI of Ma'ariful-Qur'Zn, English. Those interested may see it there. In verse 71,it Was said: $ Ldi & 6; I ; (Did they not see that We have created for them cattle, among things made (directly) by Our hands, then they are their owners?). Along with the mention of the Divine novelty and beneficence in the creation of the cattle i n t h i s verse, yet another great favor of Allah Ta'ala h a s been identified. It has been said that man has played no role in the creation of these cattle. Allah Ta'ZlZ made them, exclusively, by His own hands, so to say. Then, He not only let human beings benefit from these cattle with His permission, b u t also made them their owners, so t h a t they could dispose them off in any manner they chose - use them to their advantage or sell them off and use the money thus acquired.

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Gift of God - not capital or labor - is the real wisdom behind the ownership of things In our day, debate is still going on between various economic theories as to the basis of production of things and their ownership. Is it wealth, or is it labor? The votaries of the capitalist economic system declare capital and wealth as its basis. The protagonists of the socialist and communist system support labor as the real reason or justification behind production of things and their ownership. This decree of the Qur'an tells us t h a t none of these two h a s a n y role to play i n t h e creation of things a n d their ownership. The creation of anything does not rest in the possession or control of human beings. That is a n act of Allah Ta'ZlZ, directly. Then, reason demands that the one who creates something should also be its owner. Therefore, when it comes to things of this world, the essential and real ownership is that of Allah Ta'ZlZ. The ownership of human beings in anything whatsoever can take effect only when Allah Ta'ZlZ passes it on to them in His mercy. Allah Ta'ZlZ has already revealed the law of the proof a n d transfer of ownership through his prophets. Counter to this law, no one can become the owner of anything.
We have b r o u g h t t h e m u n d e r t h e i r control), yet another favor and blessing has been pointed to. If one were to look a t t h e camel, horse, elephant, ox and other animals, i t will be

I n verse 72:

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Siirah YZ Sin : 36 : 76 - 83

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realized that they are seemingly far stronger than h u m m beings. Man is weak a s compared to them - as a result of which, it should have not been possible for him to t a m e a n d control them. But, Allah Ta'ZlZ h a d i t arranged in His own way. The way He created these animals and gifted them to human beings, in the same way, He made these free animals naturally subservient to man. A boy reins a strong horse and rides on its back to anywhere he likes to go. This thing too is no achievement of man. This comes from Allah Ta'Zlg as His grace, a blessing that is given to man without asking. ,,, , 3 * , > ,,, In the last verse cited above (75), it was said: S+=-J -L+ & + ,J (rather they are a n army brought forth for them). One sense of this verse is to take the word: 2 (army) in the text to mean a n opponent or adversary and take the verse to mean that the things they have made their objects of worship i n t h e mortal world will t u r n against t h e m on t h e Day of Judgment and also bear witness against them.
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And according to a Tafsir reported from Hasan and Qatiidah yJ, it means that these people had taken to idols as gods in the hope that they would help them. But, the reality on the ground proved to be that they were already incapable of helping them. As a result, the very people who used to worship them a s their servants and soldiers are now guarding them to t h e extent t h a t they would t a k e their side a n d fight against anyone who opposes them (al-Qurtubi). The translation given in the text (with brackets) is based on this interpretation.

Verses 76 - 83

SYirah YZ Sin : 36 : 76 - 83

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So, their remarks must not grieve you. Surely We know what they conceal and what they disclose. [76] And did man not see that We have created him from a drop of semen? Then suddenly he stood as an open adversary (to Us). [77] And he has set up an argument about Us and forgot his creation. He said, 'Who will give life to the bones when they are decayed?" [78] Say, "These will be revived by the same One who had created them for t h e first time, a n d who is fully aware about every creation, [79] - the One who created for you fire from the green tree, and in no time you kindle from it!' [80] Is i t that the One who has created the heavens and t h e earth has no power to create ones like them? Why not? And He is the Supreme Creator, the All-Knowing. [81] His practice, when He intends to do something, is no more than He says, "Be", and it comes to be. [82] So, pure (from every fault) is the One in whose hand is t h e dominion of all things. And towards Him you are to be returned. [83] Commentary

The last five verses of Siirah YZ STn were revealed in the background of a particular event. This event has been attributed to Ubayy Ibn Khalaf in some narrations, and to 'ASibn m i l in some others. And there is no improbability in that such a n event came to pass with both of them. The first narration was reported by al-Baihaqi i n Shu'abul-'Im-Ian, and the other reported by Ibn Abi H-Iaatim from Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas & says that Ibn m i l picked up a bone from the sandy and pebble-strewn valley of Makkah and after breaking it with his hands rubbed it into a handful of bone meal and then said to the Holy Prophet @, "Will Allah revive this bone you are seeing in my hands?" The Holy Prophet said, "Yes, Allah Ta'Zlii will put you to death, then bring you back to life and then He will put you in Hell." (Ibn Kathir)

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challenge Allah, and refuse to accept His power. I n verse 78, it was said: % d GJ> (And h e h a s s e t u p a n a r g u m e n t a b o u t Us). H e r e , t h e expression refers to the event described above, that is, while smashing a n d rubbing t h e bone i n t o bone meal, i t s revival w a s considered , improbable. After that, it was said: GL (and forgot his own creation). I t means while he was giving that example, he forgot the example of his own creation as to how he himself was created by infusing life in a lowly, impure and lifeless drop - a bland anatomy of his creation indeed. Had he not forgotten his real genetic origin, he would have never come up with such examples and would have never dared saying no to Divine power.
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But, in the present verse, since the quality of the 'shajar' or tree has also been mentioned as being 'akhdar' or green, therefore, here it seems that meant here are those particular trees that used to be a source of fire despite being green and moisturized. In verse 82, it was said: a& 'd J& ~i! L;! (His practice, ' o ) i;: when He intends to do something, is no more than He says, "Be", and it comes to be.). In other words, the verse means that when Allah Ta'ElZ intends to create something, He has no need to follow the way things are made by h u m a n beings who have to collect raw materials, assemble technicians and work for a certain period of time until the thing is ready. His way, to use a n understatement, is different. Whenever, He intends to create something, for Him it is sufficient to give the command: "Be." Right
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then, the thing so commanded comes into existence. From this, i t does not necessarily follow t h a t t h e creation of everything should invariably be instant. Instead, when t h e creation of somet'hing instantly under t h e dictate of the wisdom of the Creator is expedient, it stands created on the beam without a n y gradual mode or respite. And when t h e creation of something is decreed to be appropriate only a s gradual due to some wise consideration, it comes into existence gradually - whether i t is destined to be created along with a particular gradual mode i n the very first decree, or it is addressed with a separate command of 'kun' or 'be' a t each gradual ;jLij k i w d j (And Allah, the Pure, the High knows best). l stage.

Alhamdulilliih The Commentary on Sfirah YZ Sin Ends here

Siirah AS-SaffZt : 37 : 1 - 10

419

Siirah AS-SafEt
Siirah AS-Saffatis Makki and it has 182 verses and 5 sections

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful,the Very-Merciful Verses 1- 10

(I swear) by those who stand in rows, [I] then by those who prevent firmly [2], then by those who recite the dhikr, [3] surely your God is but One, [4] the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and Lord of the points of the sunrise. [5] Verily, We have decorated the nearest sky with an adornment, the stars, [6] and (have made them ) a security against every rebellious shaitan (satan). [IThey cannot listen to the Upper Realm and are hit from every side [8] to be driven off, and for them there is a lasting punishment, [9] however, if one snatches a little bit, he is pursued by a bright flame. [lo]
Commentary Subjects of-the S u r a h This SGrah i s Makki, t h a t is, i t was revealed i n Makkah

Siirah Ap$afEt : 37 : 1 - 10

420

al-Mukarramah. Like other Makki SGrahs, matters of faith have been taken up as its essential subject. In it, beliefs about Divine Oneness, the mission of messengers and the certain eventuality of the Hereafter have been fortified with proofs presented in various ways. As a corollary, a refutation of the beliefs of Mushriks a s well as the scenes of Paradise and Hell also appear in the SIIrah. After providing rational support for beliefs t h a t formed p a r t of t h e call of the noble prophets r S J l a n d after removing doubts a n d objections raised by disbelievers, t h e S E r a h describes how Allah Ta'ZlZ dealt with those who embraced these beliefs in the past and what was the fate of those who opted to take the road to denial a n d disbelief? Accordingly, i n t h a t wise, events relating to SayyidnZ NGh, IbrZhim, MGsZ, HZrGn, IlyZs, L7it and Yiinus rY-Jl have been mentioned, briefly a t some places and in details a t others.

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The Mushriks of Makkah used to call angels: Daughters of God. Towards the end, this belief has been refuted in details and a n overall view of the SGrah seems to indicate that the refutation of this particular kind of shirk (ascribing partners to the Divinity of Allah by declaring angels to be t h e daughters of God) h a s been kept i n marked sight. Therefore, the Siirah has been initiated with a n oath taken in the name of angels combined with a declaration of the attributes of their servitude. pl.ldLw, dlj (And Allah, who is Pure, knows best).

Tauhid: The Oneness of Allah is the first subject The SGrah has been initiated by a description of the belief in Tauhid, the Oneness of Allah and the real purpose of the first four verses is to state: i-12 #! (surely your God is but One - 37:4). But, before this is 5) asserted, three oaths are sworn ahead of it. A simple literal translation of these oaths is given below: "( I swear ) by those who stand in rows, [I] then by those who prevent firmly [ Z ] , then by those who recite the dhikr.
Who are these people identified as "those who stand in rows," then, "those who prevent firmly" and then, "those who recite the dhikr?" There is no clarification in the words of the noble Qur'Zn about it. Therefore, different views h a v e been expressed to explain it. Some respected commentators say t h a t these refer to living warriors who come out to wage Jihad in the way of Allah and who stand in rows after rows, so that they prevent the aggression of the forces of the false, and even when they file in readiness for combat, even then, they remain engaged in dhikr,

Some others have said that they mean the performers of prayers who stand in rows in the Masjid and prevent Satanic thoughts denying access to them by means of a total concentration on dhikr and the recitation of the Qur'Zn (Tafsir Kabir and Qurtubi). Other t h a n these, there a r e some explanations that do not bear much congruity with the actual words of the Qur7Zn. But, the Tafsir or explanation which found the widest acceptance with the majority of commentators was that the reference here is to angels, and given here are three attributes credited to them: 1. The first attribute is: & &i (those who s t a n d in rows). This expression comes from the word: c*k;. (saff) and it means 'to align some group on a straight line' (Qurtubl). Thus, it means precisely as it has been translated above. T h a t t h e angels s t a n d i n t h e formation of rows h a s also been mentioned later in this very SErah: ;$-&I ;!j (and We, surely We are those who s t a n d in rows - 37:165). When a r e these rows formed? I n answer to t h a t , some respected commentators - such as, SayyidnZ lbn 'AbbZs, Hasan al-BasrT and Qatadah - have said that angels are always standing in their rows in space awaiting the command of their Lord, and when it comes, they carry it out (Ma~harl). Some others particularize it with the time of worship, that is, when the angels are engaged in 'ibadah, dhikr and tasbih (worship, remembrance and glorification of Allah), they are in a row formation (Tafslr Kablr).

3

Discipline is desirable in Islam From this verse, we learn that doing everything in a n organized and disciplined manner and giving due consideration to order a n d skill in whatever we do is something expected of us and is certainly liked by Allah Ta'ZlZ;. It is obvious that the two objectives of the worship of Allah Ta'ZlZ a n d t h e implementation of His command might have a s well been achieved if the angels, rather than form rows, could have assembled in the form of a disorganized mob. But, instead of being subjected to something so haphazard, they were given the taufiq or ability to make rows. Then, by mentioning this very attribute first out of their good attributes in this verse, it was pointed out that Allah Ta'KlZ likes this style

of propriety very much. T h e i m p o r t a n c e of m a k i n g r o w s come s t r a i g h t a n d r i g h t i n SalZh So this is not for angels only. Human beings too have been induced to and bound with the need to make their rows straight and right during 'ibEdahl. According to a narration of Sayyidna Jabir Ibn Samurah &, the Holy Prophet $ said to him and those with him, "Why do you not % align yourself i n perfect rows (while offering SalZh) a s do t h e angels before their Lord?" The SabZbah asked, 'How do the angels form their rows before their Lord?' He said, "They complete t h e rows a n d s t a n d compactly (that is, leave no gap in between the row)." (Tafsir MazhaG) So many ahEdith stressing on the need to make rows complete and keep them s t r a i g h t i n SalZh have appeared t h a t t h e y could fill a n independent treatise on the subject. SayyidnZ AbG Mas'Gd al-Badri & says that the Holy Prophet would touch our shoulders with his blessed SalZh and say, "Stand straight, do not step ahead or fall hand during behind, other wise, it will cause dissension to creep up in your hearts."
(Jam' al-Fawa'id, with reference to Muslim and an-Nasa'i, p. 91, v.1)

2. The second attribute of the angels has been described as: \% >)c ui (fazzajirzti zajran: those who prevent firmly). This word has been derived from $) (zajr) which means to hold in check, block, prevent or restrain, also to drive back, repel or reprimand. Maulana Thanavi has translated it i n t h e s e n s e of t h o s e who place a n i m p r e g n a b l e check - which comprehends every possible sense of the word. Now, what is that against which the angels place their check? In view of the context of the Holy Qur'Zn, most commentators h a v e answered i t by s a y i n g t h a t t h e enforcing of check a t this,,place means the act of angels through which ihey stop t h e s a t a n s from reaching the higher levels, a n d a detailed description of which is going to appear a little later in the Qur'an itself.

3. The third attribute is: &ti (fattaliati dhikran) that is, these angels are those who recite the 'dhikr: The core sense of 'dhikr' is 'word of good counsel' a s well a s 'the remembrance of Allah.' I n the-first instance, it would mean that these angels are those who recite everything Allah Ta'ZlZ has revealed as word of good counsel through Scriptures. And this recitation could be as a means of earning barahah and also a s a n act of "ibadah'. Then, it is also possible that it means the angels who

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bring wahy (revelation) to the prophets, since they recite these Scriptures carrying good counsel before the prophets r S J l and thus they convey the message of Allah to them. And in the second instance, if 'dhikr' were to be taken to mean the remembrance of Allah, then, it would mean that they keep busy reciting those words, words that prove their commitment to the glory and sanctity of Allah.

+

At this place, by mentioning these three attributes of angels, the noble Qur'Zn has put together all essential qualities of ideal servitude. To sum up: (1) Stand in perfect linear formation for "ibadah', (2) preventing rebellious forces from disobedience to Allah a n d (3) to recite t h e good counsel and commandments of Allah in person as well as to communicate to others. I t is obvious that no act of servitude can remain devoid of these three departments. Hence, the sense of all four verse (37:l-4) turns out to be: 'By the angels who imbibe in them all ideal attributes of servitude, your true Lord is but One.'
Why has the statement been sworn by the angels? The reason why angels have been sworn by in the SErah particularly - as already submitted - lies in the central theme of this SErah. I t aims a t refuting t h e peculiar kind of shirk (ascribing of partners in t h e pure divinity of Allah) based on which the people of Makkah used to call angels the daughters of Allah. Accordingly, a t the very beginning of the SErah, by swearing in the name of the angels, described there were their unique attributes that demonstrated their perfect servitude. In other words, the sense is that should you ponder over these angelic attributes of servitude, they will themselves become a witness before you that their relationship with Allah Ta'ZlZ is not that of a father and daughter, instead, it is that of servants and the Master.

Injunctions about sworn statement of Allah TabZIZ:Three questions and their answers In the noble Qur'Zn, there are statement in which Allah Ta'ZlZ has sworn in various ways i n order to lay emphasis on many m a t t e r s of principles relating to faith and its articles. At some places, it is that of His own Being while, a t other places, it is that of particular things out of what He has created. This raises many questions. Therefore, it has become a detailed issue in the science of the Tafsir (exegesis) of the noble Qur'Zn. HZ& Ibn Qaiyyim has written a regular book on the subject entitled 3Cr;ll

jat-Tibyan fi Aqsam-il- Qur'an. 'Allamah as-SuytiG has, in his book aul;Yl al-ItqZn on the principle of Tafsir has discussed it in details in the sixty-seventh category of discussions. Some necessary components are being given here:
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Question One: When Allah Ta'ZlZ makes a sworn statement, a question naturally arises: Is it not that Allah Ta'ZlZ is the most need free of all? Why would he need to strengthen His statement with an oath in order to make someone believe?
Abulqasim al-Qushairi has answered to this question by saying that Allah needs not to swear before anyone, but His compassion towards His servants invited Him to do so in the hope that they, after hearing such a sworn statement made by Allah Ta'Zlii, may tend to accept the truth and save themselves from the punishment. When an Arab bedouin heard the >> verse >;qij ,WI; .;jL$ L &j2 @i 2;(And in heaven is your $ ; ; provision, and that you are promised, it is surely true as that you have speech - 51:22-23) where Allah Ta'ZlZ has sworn by 'the Lord of the heavens and the earth', he remarked, "Who has annoyed the Almighty to make Him swear an oath?"

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In short, as said earlier, this is something necessitated by Divine compassion for His creation. Is it not that we have with us a recognized method of settling disagreements and differences? A witness is presented to support a claim. If there is no witness, a sworn statement is offered. Similarly, Allah Ta'ZlZ has elected to go by this familiar way of human beings in their interest. On occasions, He has laid stress on the subject by & (Allah bears using the word: oiL& (witness) as in: 3 q! J '5 ! witness that there is no god but He - And [so do] the angels and the men of knowledge - 'Al-'Imrzn, 3:18). Then, there are occasions when words of 5 ,, oath have beeq used as in: & '4i! &-! (Yes, by my Lord, it is true E n u s , 10:53).
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Question Two: When it comes to taking an oath, it is usually done in the name of someone comparatively higher, bigger or more significant. But, how is it that Allah Ta'ZlZ has sworn by things in His creation that are inferior to Him in all conceivable respects?
It can be answered by saying that there simply is, nor can there be, any being or entity greater than Allah Ta'ZlZ. When so, it is obvious that

the oath of Allah Ta'ZlZ cannot be like t h a t of t h e common creation. Therefore, on occasions, Allah subhiinahu wa TaZlii has sworn by His own pristine Being as in: 2;;j (Yes, by my Lord - 10:53). Then, there are ! seven places in the Qur'Zn where oaths are sworn by Allah Himself. Then there are other places where oaths are sworn by Divine acts or attributes and the Qur'iin itself, for example: 6> G; >j ' G & d G j g;\j'~j &.S L ; T I , ; (And by the sky, and One who built it, and by the earth, and the One who spread it, and by the soul, and who made it well - ash-Shams, 91:5-7). And most of such oaths relate to the objects of creation that, being the means of recognition of Allah, do but revert back to Allah Himself as the ultimate source of all creation. (as mentioned by Ibn-ul- Qayyim) Out of the things in creation that have been sworn by, a t places, the purpose is to highlight the sublimity of that particular thing, as is the case with a n oath by t h e blessed life of the Holy Prophet i n t h e Holy Qur'iin by saying: & ;G & J ,$!39(By your life [ 0 prophet], they are wandering blindly in their intoxication [misguidance] - al-Hijr, 15:72). Ibn Marduwayh reports the saying of Sayyidnii 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbiis & that Allah Ta'iilii has not created anyone or anything in this world more sublime and esteemed than the Holy Prophet & himself, and it is for this reason that no oath by the person of any prophet or messenger appears anywhere in the entire Qur'En. The only such oath being by the blessed life of t h e Holy P r o p h e t @ a p p e a r s in t h e verse mentioned here. Similarly, the two oaths in: (By the Mount - a t - w r , ss:~) and ,;6r: (By the Written ~ o o k ' -a t - p r , 52:2) appear there to highligh; the greatness of the two objects sworn by.

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And on occasions, a certain created object has been sworn by for the reason that it yields a lot of benefits as in: a$>lj (By the fig, and the olive - at-Tin, 95:l). And there a r e other occasions where some created object h a s been s w o r n by for t h e reason t h a t i t s c r e a t i o n i s t h e manifestation of the great power of Allah Ta'Zlii, and a n important source of getting to know the Master-Creator of the universe. And in most cases, the thing sworn by does have some role to play in proving the subject stressed w i t h t h e force of a n oath. This unveils itself w i t h a little deliberation wherever it occurs.

2; 1

Question Three: For human beings in general, the well-known rule of the Shari'ah is that swearing by anyone other than Allah Ta'iilZ is not

permissible. This poses a question: Is it not that the statements sworn by Allah Ta'ZlZ in the name of His own created objects go on to prove that a s t a t e m e n t sworn i n t h e name of someone other t h a n Allah will also become permissible for others as well? This has been answered by Hasan a l - B a ~ by saying: 6

~L++L~I*-Y~,LL~~C.++S j !
(&A j+ ldl d 013~) l

Surely, Allah Ta'ZlZ has the right to swear by whatever of His creation He wills, but it is not for anyone else to swear by anyone other than Allah (reported by Ibn Abi HEtim, a s in Mazhar;). Here, the core sense is that taking one's own self on the analogy of the most-exalted Allah i s wrong a n d false. Once t h e Divine L a w h a s prohibited swearing by anyone other than Allah in the case of human beings a t large, any effort to counter argue on the basis of what He elects to do on His own, simply cannot be anything but false.

Explanation of verses Turning to the explanation of the verses cited above, we see that the , > (Verily, your God is but One - 4) has been placed a t statement: ++ y t h e end of t h e first t h r e e verses i n which oaths by angels a r e sworn. Though, d u r i n g t h e course of t h e s e o a t h s , m e n t i o n e d t h e r e i n a r e particular attributes of angels that, if deliberated upon even in a modest measure, would turn out to be nothing short of initial proofs of the belief in Tauhid, the Oneness of Allah. B u t , in the six verses t h a t follow next, a standing proof of Tauhid has also been supplied.
Lj 4 ; ~ l +$I j (the Lord of the heavens It was said: ,, and the earth and what is between them, and Lord of the points of the sunrise. - 37:s). Now, a Being to whom goes the credit of having created and sustained such a mind-boggling range of creations has to be the One most deserving of ownership. And this entire universe is a positive proof of His existence a n d Oneness. The word: j J d i (al-mashzriq) a s used here is the plural form of 3 s mashriq or East. Since, the s u n rises from a new point every day of the year, therefore, its orientations in the East are many, and it is on this basis that the plural form has been employed here.

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In the next verse, it was said:

~lyj-jl , ,

&> Gkl ;-UIj c! G

(Verily, We

Siirah AS-EjafEt :37 : 1 - 10

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have decorated t h e nearest sky with a n adornment, t h e s t a r s , - 37:6). Here, t h e expression: L$Jl i L d i (as-sama'ud-dunya: t h e nearest sky) means the closest sky. The sense is that Allah Ta'Zlii has made this sky closest to t h e world look good through the glittering presence of stars. Now, it is not necessary that these stars are located precisely within the sky. In fact, even if they are detached from it, even then, should they be looked a t from t h e e a r t h , they appear to be on t h e sky - a n d keep imparting a glow to it. What is being said here is no more but that this star spangled sky is a n open proof of the fact that it did not come into existence on its own, instead, it has been created by its creator. And why a Being that can bring such enormous things into existence would need any partner and sharer in His creation? In addition to that, when even the disbelievers find it a settled matter that Allah Ta'ZlZ is the creator of all heavenly bodies, would it not be injustice that, despite His being the Creator and Master, someone or something else be taken as the object of worship? As for t h e problem of s t a r s being p a r t of t h e sky or being separate from it in the light of the Qur'Zn as well as that of the coherence of astronomy with the noble Qur'Zn, these have been taken up in detail in the commentary on Siirah al-Hijr (Ma'ariful-Qursn, Volume V, Verses 15:16,
page 302)

In the last four verses, (37:7-10):'&% (Jli d> Ji) ??': $ 2! L ;& >t $& a n d [have made them] a security against every rebellious shaitan [satan]. They cannot listen to the Upper Realm and are hit from every side, to be driven off, and for them there is a lasting punishment, (however, if one snatches a little bit, he is pursued by a bright flame 37:10). I t has been said that stars'have yet another benefit besides being a decoration of the sky. Through these, wicked Satans are restrained from approaching t h e higher levels to eavesdrop. They do t h a t t o gather whatever news of the unseen they can gather by reaching the fringes of the sky. But, they are denied the opportunity to listen to what angels say to each other. If some Satan picks up even a part of their conversation, and tries to decamp with it, he is h i t by a blazing flame, so t h a t he remains unable to pass on this information to his devotees among soothsayers in the world. I t is this blazing flame that has been called: +$$& (shihab thaqib: meteor). Some d e t a i l s a b o u t meteors h a v e a p p e a r e d i n S i i r a h a l - H i j r

(Mazriful-Qurzn,volume V. 15:17,18, pages 303-305).At this place, it should be borne i n mind t h a t early Greek scientists believed i n meteors being terrestrial substance that rose up with vapors and would burn up when it reached the fire zone. But, the words of the Qur'Zn, a s they appear here, seem to suggest that a meteor is not some terrestrial substance, rather, is something generated only in the upper atmosphere. At this stage, earlier commentators have been saying all along t h a t t h e Greek assumption about meteors - that it was some terrestrid substance - was no more than to a conjecture. Therefore, this cannot be u s ~ d raise a n objection against the Qur'Zn. As for the other possibility - that some terrestrial substance rises up and ignites itself in the upper atmosphere - that too offers no contradiction with the Qur'Zn. But, once we a r e i n t h e age of modern scientific discoveries, t h e question has been put to rest. Astronomers tell u s that meteors (shihab thaqib) are small pieces from countless stars, generally of the size of large bricks. They stay in space. One of their groups is known a s 'asadiyyah', (Leo, or Lion, out of the signs of Zodiac). I t keeps revolving around the sun on its path through the imaginary belt in the heavens. One orbit by it is completed in thirty-three years. Light is emitted in these pieces because of their speed a n d abrasion against heavenly bodies. These pieces fall mostly during the nights of August 10 and November 27. Then, during the nights of April 20, October 18 and November 28, and on the nights of December 6, 9 and 13, their fallings tapers off. ( Tafsir al-Jawahirby Tantawi, page 15, volume 8). This investigative approach of modern science corresponds to t h e Qur'Znic description. Yes, a s for people who take the phenomena of satans being hit by meteors beyond conception, the late Tantawi has offered a good advice for them in his Tafsir al-Jawahir. He has said: "Our forebears and scholars also took it with a heavy heart that the noble Qur'iin would say something counter to contemporary astronomy of their time. But, the commentators of the Qur'Zn did not compromise their position. They did not agree to accept their thinking and surrender the position of the Qur'Zn. Instead of doing something like that, they bypassed their philosophical assumptions and continued to stay with the Qur'an. After the passage of some time, it became automatically established that the early Greeks were wrong in their assumptions. Now, if we

were to acknowledge that these stars hit, hurt and burn satans, what is there to stop us from doing so? Thus, here we are in our time embracing this statement of the Qur'an a s true. And we a r e faithfully waiting for t h e future (when science will also confirm it)." - al-Jawahir, page 14, volume 8.

The Real Objective
At this place, by mentioning the skies, the stars and the meteors, two objectives have been achieved. The first real objective is to a s s e r t t h e Oneness of Allah who h a s , a l l by Himself, created a n d m a n a g e d a universal system so magnificent and, therefore, He alone is worthy of being worshipped a s well. Then, there is the second objective whereby the false notion of those who take satans as their objects of worship has been refuted by telling them that they are the most accursed of the creation, and have nothing to do with the supreme station of godhead. In addition to that, also refuted here is the objection of those who used as to degrade the Divine revelation (wahy)sent to the Holy Prophet the predictions of the soothsayers. These verses clearly indicate that the noble Qur'Zn rejects the soothsayers for the sum-total of their information is what they receive through the satans. And the Qur'Zn says t h a t the satans do not have access to the higher echelons. They cannot bring back t h e t r u e information out of w h a t remains i n t h e realm of t h e Unseen ( a l g h a y b ) . W h e n t h e Qur'Zn s t a t e s t h i s a s i t s c r e e d r e l a t i n g to soothsaying, how can it become soothsaying a s such? Thus, these verses carry clear hints to the subject of Allah's Oneness and the veracity of the mission of t h e prophet. L a t e r on, through t h e example of t h e s e very cosmic creations, the belief in the Hereafter has been proved.

Verses 11 - 18

SGrah AS-SaffZt :37 : 11 - 18 Now ask them, "Are they stronger in the formation of their bodies, or those (other beings) We have created?" Certainly, We did create them from sticky clay. [ l l ] But you wonder (at their denial), and they mock (at the idea of an Hereafter). [12] And when any advice is given to them, they pay no heed to it. [13] And when they see a sign, they make fun of it, [14] and say, "This is nothing but an open magic. [15] Is i t when we have died and become dust and bones, that we shall be raised again, [16] and even our fathers of a foretime?" [17] Say, 'Yes and you shall be disgraced (too)!" [18]

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Commentary After having proved the belief in the Oneness of Allah, described in the present eight verses is the belief in the 'Akhirah or Hereafter along with a n answer to doubts entertained by disbelievers about it. First of all, a rational proof has been given in support of the possibility of human resurrection in the very initial verse cited above. In gist, it refers to the huge heavenly bodies of the universe mentioned in previous verses, and points out to the obvious weakness of human beings as compared to them. Now when disbelievers do recognize that such great objects of creation as angels, Moon, stars, Sun and the meteors, were created by Allah Ta'ZlZ through His infinite power, how could it become difficult for Him to make a weak creation like human beings die and then come alive once again? I t is being said that the way they were fashioned in the beginning with sticky clay followed by a blowing of spirit in them, similarly, when they will have died and become dust, even then, Allah TabZIZwill give them life once again.
As for the statement: (Certainly, We did create them from sticky clay 37:11), either it means that their forefather, SayyidnZ Adam @\,was created with clay, or it is also possible that it means every human being. Therefore, if seen with a little deliberation, water-based clay is the essence of every human being cyclically. Human creation is from sperm, sperm from blood and blood from food. The essence of food, no matter in which form, is vegetation and vegetation comes from the combination of clay and water. Anyway, the first verse (11) provides a rational proof of the belief in the 'Akhirah or Hereafter. This has been posed in the form of a question beamed right a t them: Who is more difficult in the process of creation?

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You? Or, a r e t h e many objects of creation We have mentioned more difficult to create? Therefore, no elaborate explanation was considered necessary. I t was deemed sufficient to allude to it through a h i n t by saying - 'Certainly, We did create them with sticky clay.' After t h a t , i n the five verses t h a t follow it, described t h e r e i s the reaction t h e disbelievers show on hearing the proofs i n support of the Hereafter. The proofs of t h e belief in t h e Hereafter presented before disbelievers were of two kinds: (1) Rational proofs a s given in the first verse. (2) Reported proofs, that is, they were shown miracles in support of t h e veracity of t h e mission of t h e Holy Prophet $& a s prophet a n d messenger of Allah asserting t h a t he was, a s such, from Allah a n d a prophet of Allah can never lie. He receives the authority of what he says from the heavens. And when he is telling us that the last day of QiyZmah will come, there will be a Resurrection and human beings will account for their deeds, then, this information given by him is definitely true, and it must be accepted as true. As for the reaction of disbelievers on rational proofs, it was said: & * , ,,,, ,,, ,, , ajJLY IjLi Ii!, . a ~ + ++=+ j (But you wonder [at their denial], and they mock [at the idea of a n Hereafter]. And when any advice is given to them, they pay no heed to it. - 12,13). Given here first is the stance of the Holy Prophet who wonders a s to how could these people, after having such clear proofs before them, still remain reluctant to accept the truth while these people, on the contrary, indulge in making fun of the proofs and beliefs presented by him before them. I n fact, no amount of advice and counsel given to them works. They are just averse to any understanding.
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As for reported proofs, their reaction is: t'l 5!j (And when they see a sign, they make a fun of it - 37:14). I t means if they see a miracle that confirms the veracity of his prophethood, and the belief in ' a h i r a h ultimately, they ridicule even something so serious and dismiss it by saying t h a t it was nothing but clear magic. Why would they so scoff and jeer? Did they have some basis, some argument in support? when we have died and become dust and bones, that we shall be raised again, and even our fathers of a foretime?"- 16,17). In other words, the problem of comprehension t h a t confronted them was a s to how i n the

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world could they - once they and their forefathers had become dust and bones - be brought back to life all over again. They were really not willing to admit any proof in this matter, neither t h a t of reason nor t h a t of miracle. Allah Ta'ZlZ has chosen to answer t h e i r question i n a single ,, ,,* > ,, sentence a t the end in the words: ;;>I; +I,Itu 2 (Say, "Yes - and you shall be disgraced (too)!" - 3 7 : i ~ )
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Outwardly, this is a dismissive answer, a s is usually given to rigid people. But, a little deliberation would reveal t h a t i t happens to be a full-fledged argument as well. Imam RZzi has explained it in Tafsir Kabir. He says: By t h e rational proof of resurrection given earlier, i t already stands established that the rising of human beings once again after death is not something impossible. Then, the rule is t h a t the physical happening of anything rationally possible can be proved on t h e authority of t h e statement of someone who is harbinger of nothing but the truth. So, once this much is settled that rising again is possible, then, should some true prophet of Allah simply say thereafter: 'Yes, you shall definitely.rise again," this will be a n absolute proof t h a t t h e said event is bound to happen.

The proof of the miracles of the Holy Prophet $&
The word: $1 ('Zyktan) in verse 14: 21\$; I;!; (And when they see a sign) literally means 'sign' and a t this place it means 'miracle.' Hence, this verse proves that Allah Ta'ZlE had given to the Holy Prophet % some other miracles a s well i n addition to t h a t of t h e noble Qur'Zn - which refutes those who take the miracles of the Holy Prophet $$& a s effects of physical causes, and thereby claim that no miracle, other t h a n that of the Qur'Zn, was shown a t the blessed hands of the Holy Prophet %. I n this verse (14), Allah Ta'ZlZ has clearly said: L~&L+ 4) I ~ I J;!;I (And when they s e e a sign, they make f u n of it). Some people who deny ,> miracles say that, a t this place, the word: h ('Zyat) does not mean a j h S ('mufjizah) or miracle, instead, i t means rational arguments. But, this approach is patently wrong in view of what is said in the next verse that %.>4+ follows immediately: $ ih i$; (and they say, "this is nothing but a n open magic - 37:15). I t is obvious that declaring a n evidence and argument to be open magic does not make any sense. They could have said something like this only when they had seen a miracle.
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Some deniers of miracles also say that the word: hi ('Zyat) means ayat

or verses of the Qur'Zn, a s it is these verses that the disbelievers declare ; as magic. But, the word:: ; 1 (rE aw: they see) of the noble Qur'Zn is flatly contradicting t h i s assertion. The verses of t h e Qur'Zn were not seen. Instead, they were heard. Hence, wherever Qur'anic verses have been mentioned in the noble Qur'Zn, the words used there are those of hearing, not of seeing. And place after place in the Qur'Zn, the word: $7 (Fzyat) has appeared in the sense of mu'jizah or miracle. For instance, while reporting the demand of the Pharaoh from Sayyidnii MCsZ %&I it was said:

If you have come with a sign bring it out, if you are one of the truthful (7:106). In response, SayyidnZ MEsZ had shown the miracle of his staff turning into a serpent. As for the verses of the Qur'Zn where it has been mentioned that the Holy Prophet % did not accede to their demand for a miracle, the fact is that miracles had been repeatedly shown thereby, but they used to ask for a n ever-new miracle of their choice almost everyday. I t was in response to such demands for miracles that they were turned down. I t was done for the reason that a prophet of Allah shows miracles a t the will and command of Allah Ta'ZlZ. If anyone still refuses to accept the true message conveyed by him, then, coming up with a new miracle everyday is counter to the dignity of the prophet, as well a s counter to the will of Allah Ta'ZlZ. I n addition to that, it has been the customary practice of Allah Ta'ZlZ that, once some people were granted the miracle they had asked for - and they still failed to believe - then, they were destroyed through a mass punishment. But, in view of the intended survival of the community of the Holy Prophet % and with the objective of keeping i t safe from any mass punishment, no such miracle on demand was shown before it.

Verses 19 - 26

So, it will be only a single (castigating) Call, and all of a sudden they will begin to see. [19] And they will be saying, 'Woe to us; this is the Day of Retribution!' [20] (It will be said to them,) This is the Day of Judgment that you used to deny. [21] Muster all those who were unjust, and their fellows, and whatever they used to worship [22] other than Allah, and show them the way to Jahannam, [23] and make them stop (for a while) they are to be questioned: [24]" What has happened to you t h a t you do not help each other?" [25] On t h e contrary, all of them today are totally submissive . [26] Commentary

After having shown the possibility and proof of ' a h i r a h or Hereafter, Allah Ta'5lZ has described some events relating to Resurrection in these verses. Given in the first verse (19) is the mode in which the dead will rise a * , ,* again. I t was said: b&lj i3j 2 d (So, it will be only a single [castigating] G Call and all of a sudden they will begin to see - 37:19). The word: : j g (Zajrah) is a noun derived from '>j (zajr), and it is used to carry many meanings in the Arabic language. Out of these, one meaning is: 'To utter such sounds which, when heard by cattle, would motivate them to rise and get moving.' Here, it means the second Sur (Horn or Trumpet) that will be blown by the angel, SayyidnE IsrEfil @I. Hence, i t h a s been expressed a s 'zajrah' for the reason t h a t the way some sounds a r e produced to prompt cattle to rise and get moving, very similarly, this SCr will be blown to make the dead rise. (Tafsir al-Qurtubr) Though Allah Ta'515 is, in His infinite power, inherently capable of making the dead rise again without having the SGr blown, yet this SCr will be blown i n order to highlight the awe of the Resurrection (Tafsir , > :, Kabir). Its effect on the disbelievers has been identified as: (and all of a sudden they will begin to see - 37:19), that is, the way they could see in the mortal world, in the same way, they would be able to see there.
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Some other commentators have explained it by saying that, overtaken by wonder, they will start looking a t each other. (Qurtubi) In verse 22, it was said: +!j;ij !+ >+J!~ IJ+ (Muster all those who were unjust, and their fellows). Here, the text has used the word: c!j;i (azwEj) for cohorts, fellow travelers,or people of the same persuasion - a word literally meaning 'pair'. Then, this word is very commonly used in the sense of spouses. That is why some commentators have said that it means wives of the Mushriks who were also Mushriks. But, in the sight of most commentators, the word: i!j;i (azwEj) a t this place means nothing but people of the same persuasion, and it also finds support in a saying of Sayyidna 'Umar &. Imam al-Baihaqi, 'Abd-ur-Razzaq and others have reported this saying of Sayyidnii 'Umar 4 under their explanation of % , > ', this verse. They have said that the word: (cgrljjl (azwEjuhum) in the text means 'other people like them.' Thus, (while mustering t h e unjust), huddled together there will be the people of the same interest, fornicators with other fornicators and drunkards with other drunkards. (R+-ul-MaZn?
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In addition to that, by saying: s j - ~ I j C i j (and whatever they used to u worship - 37:22), it was expressly laid out that, along with the Mushriks, all those false objects a n d entities like idols a n d s a t a n s they used to worship and equate with Allah as His associates in the life of the world will all be mustered together - so that, a t that time, the helplessness of these false objects of worship could be demonstrated publicly. After that, a command will go forth to angels: J (~BJJA~ ! (and show them the way to Jahannam - 37:23). When the angels will take t h e m a w a y , a n d r e a c h close t o t h e Bridge of S i r a t , t h e y w i l l b e 3 , , > !. (make them stop - they are to be questioned commanded: w! 37:24). Thereupon, a t this place, they will be questioned about their beliefs and deeds - that have been mentioned in the Qur'an and Hadith a t many places.
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And some of them (the followers of their chiefs ) will turn to others ( the chiefs ), asking questions from one another. [27] They ( the followers ) will say, 'You were the ones who used to come to (mislead) us forcefully!' [28] They (the chiefs) will say, "On the contrary, you yourselves were no believers. [29] And we h a d no authority over you a t all, but you yourselves were a transgressing people. [30] So, the word of our Lord has come t r u e against us. Indeed, we have to taste (the punishment). [31] We did misguide you, ( because ) we were ourselves erroneous". [32] So, this day, they will be sharers i n t h e punishment. [33] This is how we deal with the criminals. [34] They were those to whom when i t was said: 'there is no god but Allah', they waxed proud, [35] and used to say, "Are we really to leave our gods because of an insane poet?" [36] No, he has come with the truth and has confirmed all the messengers (of Allah). [37] Surely you have t o t a s t e t h e painful punishment- [38] And you will be recompensed for nothing but for what you used to do - [39] unlike the chosen servants of Allah. [40] Commentary

When the leading elders among disbelievers who had misled their common a d h e r e n t s a p p e a r before t h e i r followers on t h e plains of resurrection, they would, r a t h e r t h a n help each other, s t a r t arguing among themselves. The present verses carry a sampling of t h e same

mutual argumentation between the contesting parties a s well a s the sad end they will have to face. Two things are noteworthy here: >, , 1. The word: + (Yamin) in: J k>a , 5$ (You were the ones L ! who used to come to [mislead] u s forcefully.- 37:28) may have several meanings. One possible meaning of the expression: 2 1 J ('ani '1-yamin) is 'powerfully' or 'forcefully'. The translation given in the text above is based on this meaning, which seems to be fairly clear and cloudless. In addition to that, 'yamin' is also used to mean oath. Some commentators have explained i t as: 'you came to us with oaths,' t h a t is, 'you made us believe on o a t h t h a t o u r creed i s correct a n d t h e t e a c h i n g of t h e messenger of Allah is, God forbid, false.' I n terms of t h e words of t h e Qur'an, both these explanations are possible and acceptable comfortably.

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2. From verse 33: i j . 5 + d ~ \ I wlj (So, this day, they will be sharers in the punishment.), we learn that should a certain person invite someone else to participate in what is impermissible and use his clout to coax him into sin, then, h e will certainly incur t h e punishment of so inviting that person to sin. But, a person who accepts his invitation of his volition and choice, he too cannot be absolved from the sin of his deed. He cannot appear in the Hereafter and get away by saying t h a t h e was made to go astray by this or that person. Yes, if he has not committed sin by his volition and choice, instead, has done so under coercion, just to save his life, then, inshalAllah, it is hoped that he will be forgiven.

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Those a r e t h e people for whom t h e r e is a known provision, [41] the fruits; and they will be honored [42] in Gardens of Bliss [43] facing each other on couches. [44] They will be served with a cup from a flowing drink, [45] white, delicious for those who drink. 1461 There will be no headache therein, nor will they be intoxicated with it, [47] and by their side there will be females restricting t h e i r gazes (to their husbands), having pretty big eyes, [48] as if they were eggs hidd'en (under feathers protected from pollution). [49] Then they will t u r n to each other asking questions mutually, [50] A speaker from them will say, " I had a companion [51] who used t o say (to me), 'Are you one of those who believe? [52] Is it when we have died and become dust a n d b o n e s ? I s i t t r u e t h a t we a r e g o i n g t o be recompensed [for our deeds]?"' [53] He (the speaker) will say (to other people in Paradise) 'Would you like to have a look ( to Jahannam to find out what happened to that companion of mine)?" [54] So he looked - and he saw him in the middle of Jahannam. [55] He said, "By Allah, you were going almost to ruin me. But for the favour of my Lord, I would have been among those produced for punishment." [57] (Then the speaker will address the other people of Paradise in delight and wonder, saying, "Are we not then to die anymore [58] beyond our first death, nor a r e we going to be punished? [59] This is, i n d e e d , t h e g r e a t success. [60] For t h i s k i n d (of achievement), all workers must work. [61]

Commentary After having described t h e condition of the people of J a h a n n a m (Hell), the verses cited above have mentioned the condition of the people

of J a n n a h (Paradise). This description is in two parts. The initial ten verses describe the comforts the people of Jannah will be blessed with. After that, the verses that follow take up a n event relating to a particular inmate of Jannah which has lessons of guidance. Out of what has been said in the first ten verses, a few things are worth mentioning. These are as follows:
1. I t was said in the first verse (41): ; 2;) $

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people for whom there is a known provision,). Commentators explain it variously. (1) Some say that it refers to the detailed description of the provisions of Paradise mentioned i n different Siirahs of t h e Qur'Zn. MaulZnZ Ashraf 'Afi ThZnavi has elected to go by this very Tafsir. (2) Others have said t h a t 'known provision' means t h a t i t s timings a r e determined a n d known, t h a t is, i t will be bestowed punctually all /s mornings and evenings as indicated in another verse (kJ : 'and for i/5; them there is their provision in it, morning and evening' -Maryam, 19:62) where the words: CC3 (morning and evening) have been explicitly mentioned. (3) Then, there is a third Tafsir a s well. According to this explanation, 'known provision' m bns that this provision will be certain and everlasting - unlike the world of our experience where no one can say with any degree of certainty what and how much of that provision he or she is going to get; nor does anyone know how long his provision will remain available to him or her. Every human heart is all the time under the fear that the blessings he has may disappear in future- may be, comes a tomorrow a n d they a r e no more there. J a n n a h will be free of this danger. Instead, the provision of Paradise will be certain and everlasting, both. (Quflubi, and others)
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2. By saying: XI$ (fawakih: fruits - 42) immediately after, the Qur'iin has itself explained 'rizq' (provision) - t h a t it will comprise fruits. The word: $I$explained (fawakih) is the plural form of: * @ E k i h a h ) and it g denotes everything eaten for the taste and not to remove hunger. I t is conveniently translated a s fruit since it is eaten for the taste. Otherwise, the sense of fikihah is much wider than that of fruit. Imam Riizl has culled the subtle point from this very word t h a t the cuisine offered in J a n n a h will be for t h e taste of it, a n d not for removing hunger. The reason is that in Jannah there is nothing one would really need. Once there, one would need no food or energy-giving intake in order to sustain

life or preserve health. Yes, there will be wish. The fulfillment of wish will bring the pleasure of satiation - and that would be the objective of all blessings of Paradise. (Tafsir Kabir, page 98. v.7)
3. Then, by saying: du$ ~ * J . J(wa hum mukramiin: and they will be honored), it was given to understand that this provision will be presented to the people of Jannah with full protocol of hospitality and honor, for a n absence of i t would render even t h e most delicious offering remain without relish. From here, we also learn that the right of a guest is not fulfilled simply by feeding him or her. In fact, the warmth of hospitality and the according of honor to a guest is also included under his or her rights.
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4. After t h a t , i t was said: ; ;, .J; ('alii sururim-mutaqabilin: % i facing each other on couches. - 3 7 : ~ )This is a portrayal of the state in . which the people of Jannah will be sitting - no backs against each other. How would that seating arrangement turn out to be in practice? That only Allah knows best. Some commentators say t h a t the circuit of the seating arrangement would be so extensive that no one will need to sit with one's back towards anyone, and Allah Ta'ZlZ will bless the people of Jannah with such power of sight, audition and speech that they would be able to comfortably converse with people sitting a t varying distances. Then, there are some other commentators who have also said that these couches, thrones or settees will be revolving - readily zooming towards whomsoever one wishes to talk to. And Allah knows best. 5 . T h e word: 5 a p p e a r i n g i n verse 46: s, ,j ( l a d h d h a t i l 3 , , U jl lishshiiribin: delicious for those who drink) is essentially a verbal noun which means 'to be tasteful'. Therefore, some commentators have said that, a t this place, the adjunct (mudaf) stands elided. Initially, it was: 5 (dhati ladhdhatin: having taste). But, there is no need for this labored 9 approach. First of all, even if 'ladhdhah' is taken to mean nothing but a verbal noun is frequently used in the sense of ismul-fi'il. In that case, it would mean that it would be 'a taste personified' for those who drink. In addition to t h a t , there is another adjectival form of: :% : l a d h d h a t u n besides : ladhidhun - that is, 3 : ladhdhun. I t is possible that the word: 1%: ladhdhatun used here may be a feminine form of the same : ladhdhun (Tafsir Qurtubi). In this case, it would mean: 'delicious for those who drink.'
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(liF fiha ghauliin) has been explained variously as 'headache' or 'abdominal pain' or 'smell or corruption' or 'muddling of reason'. The fact is that the word: J> (ghaul) is used to convey all these meanings, while HXfiz I b n J a r i r says t h a t ' g h a u l ' a p p e a r s h e r e i n t h e s e n s e of b a n e , t r o u b l e or unwelcome consequences which makes it mean that the drink offered in J a n n a h will have no such evil consequences as are found in wines consumed in the mortal world - no hangovers of headache, stomach pain, bad breath or loss of reason. (TafsirIbn Jarir). 7. In verse 48, it was said: +$I A@ (restricting their gazes). This is a n attribute of the hurs or houris of Jannah - wide eyes with lowered gaze. I t means that except for the mate3 to whom Allah Ta'ZlZ gives them in marital bond, they will not raise their eyes to cast a look a t any other male. 'Allamah Ibn-ul-Jauzi reports: These women will tell their spouses, 'By the honor of our Lord, I see no one better than you in this Jannah. Praised be Allah who made me your spouse and made you, mine.' 'Allamah Ibn-ul-Jauzi h a s given yet another sense of 'those with lowered gaze' when he says that they will cause the gaze of their spouses remain lowered. In other words, they will be so beautiful and so faithful that their spouses would simply not have a wish to look a t anyone else. (Tafsir Zad-ul-Masir, pages 57, 58, volume 8) , ) ,- + , , s * * , 8. In verse 48: dl( (as if they were hidden eggs). As obvious, the hurs of Jannah have been likened to hidden eggs in this verse. The simile was popularly recognized among t h e people of Arabia. The egg hidden under feathers remains safe from t h e pollution, therefore i t is always neat and clean. Moreover, its color is yellowish white,which was deemed by the Arabs as the most attractive color for women. Then there are other commentators who say that this simile does not relate to eggs a s such, instead, the simile relates to the membrane hidden in the egg, and the sense is that the skin of those women will be a s soft as the membrane of the eggs. (R*-ul-MaZnT) Allah knows best.
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An inmate of Jannah and his disbelieving acquaintance
After having described the general condition of the people of Jannah, one of them has been mentioned particularly. Once he has settled down with other inmates of Jannah, he will recall a disbelieving acquaintance

who denied the possibility of the Hereafter during his mortal life. Then, with the permission of Allah Ta'ZlZ, he will be given an opportunity to talk to him by peeping into the Jahannam. The identity of this man has not been given in the Qur'Zn. Therefore, it cannot be said with any degree of c e r t a i n t y a s to who t h i s person could be. Still, some commentators have opined that the name of the believer was Yahudah and the name of his disbelieving acquaintance was Matrus, and they were the same two comrades mentioned earlier in the verse of SGrah ,* ' ,al-Kahf: Y-G $31 give them an example. There were two j (And men.. . - 18:32). (Tafsb Mazhari)

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And to determine the identity of this person, 'AllZmah as-SuyGfi has reported yet another event from.severa1 tabi'in t h a t there were two partners in a business. They earned eight thousand dinars out of it, and took four thousand dinars each. One partner spent one thousand dinars from his share to buy a land. The other partner was a pious man. He prayed: '0 Allah, this person has bought a plot of land for one thousand dinars. I buy a plot of land from You in Jannah against one thousand dinars' - and gave away one thousand dinars in Sadaqah (charity). Then, his partner-friend spent another one thousand dinars and made a house for himself. Then, the pious man said, ' 0 Allah, this man has made a house for himself by spending one thousand dinars. I buy a house in Jannah against one thousand dinars' - and, having said that, he gave away another one thousand dinars i n Sadaqah. After t h a t , his partner-friend married a woman and spent one thousand dinars over her. Then, he said: ' 0 Allah, this man has married a woman, and has spent one thousand dinars over her. I propose to one of the women in Jannah and offer this modest sum of one thousand dinars' - and, having said that, he gave away yet another one thousand dinars in Sadaqah. Finally, when his partner-friend bought some attendants and things by spending one thousand dinars, the pious partner, once again, gave out one thousand dinars in Sadaqah and prayed to Allah that he be blessed with attendants and things of Jannah against it. After that, this believing servant of Allah was caught in some dire need, and he thought of his former partner hoping that he would be good enough to help him. So, he told him about his need. His former partner asked him, 'What became of your share of money?' In answer, he told him

the whole story. Wondering thereupon, he asked, 'Do you really believe it as true that, once we die and become dust, we shall get another life and, in that life, we shall be given the return for our deeds? Get lost. I am not going to give you anything.' After that, both of them died. The man of Jannah referred to in the cited verses is the servant of Allah who had given all his wealth i n Sadaqah for t h e sake of ' x k h i r a h (life i n t h e Hereafter), and his acquaintance in Jahannam is the same partner who had chided him on his confirmation of t h e life to come, t h e 'Xkhirah.
(Tafsir ad-Durr-ul-ManthErwith reference to Ibn J a r h and others, p. 165, v. 5 )

An advice to avoid bad company Anyhow, whoever this person may be - it does not matter. This event has been mentioned with a purpose. The noble Qur'Zn is really alerting people towards a benefieial r u l e operative i n h u m a n relations. Let everyone make a careful survey of his or her circle of friends, and try to find o u t whether or nor t h e r e is someone included t h e r e i n who may actually be dragging them towards t h e sad end of the Jahannam. The destruction bad company can bring about can only be discovered fully and truly in the Hereafter - and that will be a time when there will be no escape from such destruction. Therefore, it is better to take one's guard right here in this world in matters concerning the taking of friends and promoting of relationships, something that must be done with due caution and judgment. There are occasions and circumstances when one does not foresee what would happen after having inculcated relationships with someone who disbelieves or disobeys. What ultimately happens is that one starts becoming affected by his ideas, thoughts and way of life without having any sense of that which is happening to him. This attitude proves have in the lethal for one who is so affected in terms of the end he w ~ u i d Hereafter.

Wondering about not having to die anymore
W h e n t h e m a n who h a s b e e n m e n t i o n e d h e r e will p e e p i n t o Jahannam to have a look a t his disbelieving acquaintance, it has been mentioned that the same man will be so delighted with the blessings of Jannah that he will exclaim: "Is it that we do not have to die anymore?" It does not mean that he will not be certain of the eternal life of Jannah. Instead, it is like the case of a person who achieves the highest degree of happiness. Such a person would occasionally break into exclamations that

show a s if h e does not believe his eyes on having received such enormous blessings. These remarks are of the same nature. Towards the end, the noble Qur'Zn turns our attention to the essential lesson embedded in this event and says: S@I $-&l J which means h & 'For this kind (of achievement), all workers must work.'
Verses 62 - 74

Is that better as hospitality or the tree of Zaqqum? [62] We have made it a test for the unjust. [63] It is a tree t h a t comes out in the bottom of Jahannam. [64] Its fruits are like the heads of satans. [65] So, they have to eat from i t and have to fill their bellies with it. [66] Then they will have, on top of it, a mixture made of boiling water. [67] Then, their return is but to the Fire. [68] They found their fathers on the wrong path. [69] So, they used to run in their foot steps. [70] And most of the earlier ones (too) had gone astray before them. [71] And We did send warners among them. [72] So look, how was the end of those warned - [73] except the chosen servants of Allah. [74] Commentary After having described t h e conditions prevailing in J a h a n n a m and Jannah briefly, Allah Ta'ElZ has invited every human being to compare and decide a s to which of the two conditions is better. I t was said: ' $

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The reality of Zaqqiim A tree by the name of ZaqqGm is found in the territory of Tihamah, a part of the Arabian Peninsula, and 'AllZmah ' a i i s i has written t h a t it is also found in other barren deserts. Some say that this is the same tree known a s yw- thohar (Euphorbia neriifolia or antiquorum) in Urdu and Hindi. Some others point out to another tree known a s nagphan (hood of serpent) found in India a s being the zaqqiim that appears to be more likely. Now, commentators differ in this matter. What tree is it the fruit from which the people of Jahannam will be given to eat? Is it one of the trees found somewhere i n t h i s world, or is i t some o t h e r t r e e ? Some support the view t h a t it is what is found growing in this world. Some others say t h a t the zaqqum of Jahannam is a n entirely different thing. I t has nothing to do with the earthly zaqqiim. Apparently, the way there are snakes and scorpions in the mortal world, it seems they are there in J a h a n n a m a s well. But, i t goes without saying, t h a t t h e s n a k e s a n d scorpions of the Jahannam will be far ferocious than their counterparts here. Similarly, t h e zaqqiim of J a h a n n a m will, though, b e like t h e zaqqum of this world i n terms of its genus, but it will be far too gruesome to look at, and far too unpalatable to eat. And Allah is pure and high who knows best.
In verse 63, it was said: L+ G IL I!(We have made i t [the tree ; u; of zaqqum] a t e s t ['fitnah'] for t h e unjust). Here, according t o some commentators, (fitnah) means punishment, that is, 'have turned this tree into a source of punishment.' But, most commentators say t h a t it is more appropriate to translate 'fitnah' a t this place a s 'trial' or 'test'. The purpose here is to say that Allah wishes to test a s to who believes in it, a n d who ridicules i t . Consequently, w h a t h a p p e n e d w a s t h a t t h e disbelievers of Arabia failed this test. Rather than fear this punishment and believe, they opted for t h e method of confrontation a n d ridicule. According to Hadith narrations, when the verses of the Qur'Zn in which it has been mentioned t h a t the disbelievers will be made to eat the fruit of zaqqum, AbG J a h l s a i d to his accomplices: "Your friend (Sayyidnii M u h a m m a d al-Muqtafa @) s a y s t h a t t h e r e i s a t r e e i n t h e F i r e L , 3+,
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although, fire eats the tree - while we, by God, do know this much that zaqqum is the name of butter-topped dates. So, come and eat this date and butter" (ad-Durr-ul-Manthcr,p. 277, v. 5). In fact, in the language of the Berbers, dates topped with butter or cream were known a s zaqqum, therefore, AbG Jahl made use of this opportunity to ridicule the prophet of Islam. To the two things he said, Allah Ta'ZlZ gave a n answer in a single ,,, , sentence by saying: J 7;cr; i+ &! (That is a tree that comes out 2 ! in the bottom of Jahannam - 37:64). Thus, neither does it mean date and butter, nor the objection as to how could a tree survive in fire hold valid particularly when that tree owes its very origin to the fire itself. Hence, Allah Ta'ZlZ has placed such properties in it that instead of getting burnt in fire, i t is actually nurtured by it. For example, there a r e many life forms that would survive only in fire that does not burn them, in fact, makes them grow.
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;j:; '% L& (Its fruits are like the heads of the 4 By saying: satans.- 65), the fruits of zaqqi-im have been likened to the heads of the s a t a n s . S o m e c o m m e n t a t o r s h a v e t r a n s l a t e d t h e word: &&I (ash-shayatin) i n t h i s verse a s 'serpents' since t h e fruit of zaqqi-im resembles the hood of the serpent. Therefore, in Urdu and Hindi too, it is called 'nagphan' (hood of the serpent) for this very reason. But most commentators have said that the word: (ash-shayZ6n) here should be taken in its well-recognized sense. Thus, it would mean that, in its ugliness, the fruit of zaqqiim is like the head of the satans. Now, let there be no doubt here that nobody has seen the Shaitan, why then, would something be likened to him? The reason is t h a t i t is a n imaginative simile. Speaking metaphorically, things ugly and grotesque are commonly likened to satans, Jinns and ghosts. The purpose is only to express an extreme degree of ugliness. The simile used here is also of this very nature. (R$-ul-Ma'Zni and others).
The sense of the rest of the verses is clear from their translation.

Verses 75 - 82

Siirah A?-$affZt : 37 : 75 - 82

447

And Niih did call Us (for help after he was disappointed from his people), so We were the best to respond. [75] And We delivered him and his family from the g r e a t agony, [76] and made his progeny the sole survivors. [77] And We left for him ( a word of praise ) among the later people, ( t h a t is): [78] SalZm be on NGh among ( t h e people of) all the worlds. [79] Certainly, this is how We reward those who are good in deeds. [80] He was one of Our believing servants. [81] Then, we drowned others. [82l Commentary

In the previous verses, it was said that Allah had sent messengers to warn the earlier communities a s well, but most of the people did not listen to them, therefore, they met a very sad end. Now, from here details of that brief statement made earlier are being given. As a corollary, events relating to several noble prophets have been narrated. Mentioned first in these verses was saYyidna NCh MI.The event relating to Sayyidna NGh has appeared in Siirah Hud (11) with sufficient details. A few things connected with the explanation of these very verses particularly are being taken up here. In verse 75, it was said: c j aj (And Niih did call Us). According to most commentators, it means either the prayer of SayyidnZ Niih %?&I mentioned in Siirah NCih: I;G; 2 >;YI ; $ m y Lord, do not &; ; Y leave on earth even a single inhabitant (surviving) from the disbelievers - 71:26), or t h a t which appears in SCrah Al-Qamar: $c S$ & (I am : had made this overpowered, so defend me - 54:10). Sayyidna NGh prayer a t a time when his people had crossed all limits in being wicked and unruly to him and had gone as far a s conspiring to kill him.
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And in verse 77, it was said: 201 p. 02i udj (And [We] made his progeny the sole survivors.). According to most commentators, this verse means that the majority of world population was annihilated i n the great flood during the time of SayyidnZ NCh @I. After that, all races in the
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entire world originated from the three sons of SayyidnZ NGh MI. Sam was one of his sons. His children were the forbears of t h e peoples of Arabia and Persia. The second son was named Ham. The populations in African countries came from him. Some scholars have included the people of India in the same racial stock. Yafith was the third son. From him came the races known as Turk, Mongol and Gog and Magog. Out of the people who had embarked the ark of SayyidnZ K h and had survived the Flood, the three sons of SayyidnZ N$I were the only ones whose progeny survived later on.

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However, some scholars - whose number is very small - hold the view t h a t the Flood during the time of SayyidnZ Niih was not world wide, instead, it was restricted to the land of ancient Arabia. In their sight, it was only in that land area where the progeny of Sayyidnii K h flourished a n d survived, a n d it was through them t h a t t h e Arab race came. That the race of others spread out in other regions of the world does not go on to contradict this verse. (Bayan-ul-Qur5n) A third group of commentators says that as for the Great Flood, it was worldwide, but the universal racial stock did not come from the sons of SayyidnZ Kih @\alone. Rather, it spread out from all those people who were on board with SayyidnZ NEh This group of commentators takes t h e restrictive statement of the Qur'Zn i n the sense of relative restriction, and says that, a t this place, the real purpose is to state that the race of the people drowned did not continue. (Qu~ubT)

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Given the context of the Qur'Zn, this third view is very weak, while the first view is t h e best for the reason t h a t i t is supported by some ahEdith a s well which Imiim Tirmidhi and others have reported directly from the Holy Prophet $$ under the Tafsir of this verse. In a narration from SayyidnEi Samurah Ibn Jundub &,the Holy Prophet @ has been reported to have said: "Sam is the father of the people of Arabia; Ham is the father of t h e people of Ethiopia, and Yafith, t h a t of t h e people of Byzantine." Imam Tirmidhi calls this Hadlth a s Hasan, while Imam Hiikim rates it as Sahih (R$-ul-Ma%nT, p. 98, v.23). In verses 78 and 79, it was said: &2 C 3; ; % ' (And We left for him (a word of praise) among the later people, (that is): SalZm be on Niih among [the people ofJ all the worlds.). I t means that, in
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the sight of those who were born after Sayyidnii NGh f w 1 , he was made so revered that they would continue praying for his peace and well-being right through the last day of the QiyZmah. As such, this is how it actually happened. All religions with attribution to Divine Scriptures subscribe to a s a prophet and hold him i n great the mission of Sayyidnii Niih reverence. I n addition to Muslims, even Jews and Christians regard him as being their spiritual leader.

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Verses 83 - 98

And certainly from his adherents was IbrZhTm. [83] (Remember) when he came to his Lord with a pure heart, [84] when he said to his father and his people, "What is t h a t which you worship? Do you wish ( t o have) fallacious gods other than Allah? [86] Then, what is your opinion about the Lord of the worlds?" [87] Then, he cast a look at the stars, [88] and then said, "I feel indisposed" [89] So they d e p a r t e d from him, turning their backs. [go] And he made his way to their gods and said to them, 'Why would you not eat? [91] What is wrong with you t h a t you do not speak?" [92] Then he attacked them striking with his right hand. [93] Then, they ( the idolaters ) came to him rushing. [94] He said, "Do you worship what is carved by yourselves, [95] while Allah has created you and what you make?" [96] They said, "Build for him a structure, and throw him

Commentary After having related the event concerning SayyidnZ Niih the Qur'Zn mentions two events from the blessed life of SayyidnZ Ibrahim -1. Both events highlight the great sacrifices SayyidnZ IbrZhim 1offered for the sake of Allah alone. Out of these, the first event mentioned in the verses cited above relates to SayyidnZ IbrZhirn ,$$&\ being thrown into the fire. Its details have already appeared in SErah Al-Anbiya' (21: 51-70). Yet, t h e way i t h a s been described a t this place, i t needs some explanatory notes that appear below.

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The word: 'k& (shi'ah) in verse 83: G ~ Y& S!j (And certainly from his adherents was 1br~h;m.)is used in the Arabic language for a group or party t h e individuals from which a r e similar to each other i n basic concepts and methods - and here it is obvious that the pronoun in: +& (shi'atihi) is reverting to SayyidnZ NEh =I. Therefore, it would mean that Sayyidna 1brZhim adhered to the way of SayyidnZ K h t h e prophet preceding him, a n d t h a t there was a perfect agreement between them on the basic principles of faith - and it is also possible that the religious codes they had could also be the same, or similar. Let us bear in mind that, according to some historical narratives, there is a gap of two thousand six hundred and forty years between them, and there was no prophet except SayyidnZ HEd a n d Sayyidnii Salih during t h i s period. (Kashshaf, p. 48, v. 4)

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In verse 84, it was said: ,+&&j ;Gi! (when he came to his Lord ( ' with a pure heart,). Here, 'coming to his Lord' means 'to turn to Allah, to zero in one's attention towards Him and to worship Him.' By placing the restriction of 'with a pure heart' i t h a s been indicated t h a t no act of devotion ('ibadah) to Allah is acceptable until the heart of the devotee is cleansed pure from false beliefs and ill intentions. If a certain act of devotion is performed while laced with some false belief, then, no matter how h a r d t h e devotee h a s worked i n this process, it will still not be acceptable. Similarly, if the main purpose of the devotee happens not to be the seeking of the sole pleasure of Allah - but, is a simple show off or some material gain, then, that act of devotion is not praiseworthy. The
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In verses 88 and 89, it was said: @ ' JG r$Jl 3 ;k ;. (Then, he cast a look a t the stars, and then said, "I feel indisposed" 37:88-89). There is a background to these verses. The people of SayyidnZ I b r Z h h used to have a festival on a particular day. When that day came, they invited SayyidnZ Ibrahim to go with them and enjoy the festival. Their purpose was t h a t if h e accompanies them i n the festival, h e might be i m p r e s s e d w i t h t h e m a n d forget a b o u t calling t h e m t o h i s f a i t h . (ad-Durr-ul-Manthtir,Ibn Jarir and others). But, SayyidnZ IbrZhim had something else on his mind. He wanted to make use of this occasion to pursue a n agenda of his own. He thought when all these people go to celebrate their festival, he would have the time to go into their temple and break t h e i r idols, so t h a t when t h e y r e t u r n e d , t h e y would s e e t h e helplessness of their false gods with their own eyes. I t was quite possible that this scenario makes someone's heart lit with the spark of true faith and, may be, he repents and shies away from shirk. This being his aim, refused to go with t h e m . B u t , h e chose a Sayyidnii IbrZhim particular method of saying 'no' to his people when h e c a s t a full, animated look a t the stars (expressed in the text by saying: ($1 Y , Vi-nnujum: into t h e stars] a s explained below) and t h e n said t h a t h e was indisposed. His people took his excuse to be valid, left him alone and went away to enjoy their festival.

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Several exegetic and juristic issues are related with this event. A gist is being presented here.

The purpose of casting a glance at the stars T h e f i r s t debatable issue is to determine t h e purpose for which Sayyidna IbrZhim %8\ cast a glance a t the stars before he could give a n answer. Some commentators have said that this happened a s a matter of chance. When someone has something important on his mind, there are occasions he would start looking a t the sky quite unintentionally. At the was invited to come to the festival, h e was time SayyidnZ I b r Z h h left thinking a s to how could he excuse himself out of this invitation. It was in this state of indecision that he, quite involuntarily, cast a glance t o w a r d s t h e s t a r s a n d , only a f t e r t h a t , c a m e h i s r e s p o n s e . T h i s explanation of casting a glance towards the stars apparently seems to be

Siirah AS-fjafEt : 37 : 83 - 98

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cloudless. But, in view of the style of the noble Qur'Zn, it is difficult to call it correct. First of all because the style of the Qur'Zn is such that it limits itself to the narration of only important and necessary units of events while it leaves off details that are unnecessary . Even in these very verses under study, several units of the events have been elided to the extent t h a t i t s entire background was also not spelt out. Therefore, i t is not possible to believe that the Qur'iin would have left out the background of this event, lest i t becomes too long while i t would t a k e a n absolutely involuntary action not even distantly related to the event and describe it in a whole verse. Secondly, if no particular wise consideration was in sight while casting a glance towards t h e s t a r s , instead, i t h a d happened involuntarily - then, according to the grammatical rules of t h e Arabic , ,, , , , language, one would say: ($1 J +;k.;kr and not: $(1 ! J a s in the text.
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This tells u s t h a t SayyidnZ IbrEhim did have some particular expedient consideration before him in having a glance a t the stars, and that is why the noble Qur'Zn has mentioned it with such stress on its importance. Now the question is: What was that expedient consideration? In answer, most commentators have said that the people of IbrZhim @\ believed in astrology and used to do everything they had to do by looking a t stars. The purpose behind the answer that SayyidnZ IbrZhim 1 gave by looking a t the stars was to let his people understand that the statement being given by SayyidnZ IbrZhim % about his indisposition % I was not something unfounded, instead, what he was saying was being said on the basis of his assessment of the movement of stars. Although, was not a believer in astrology personally, but the SayyidnZ IbrZhTm method h e used functionally in order to avoid his participation i n t h e festival was precisely what would appear trustworthy in their sight - and since he made no reference to astrology verbally, nor did he declare that his aim was to seek help from his knowledge of stars - instead, what he did was no more than having looked a t bhe stars rather fully - therefore, this also had no aspect of some lie in it. Here, one may doubt that this act of SayyidnE IbrEhim might have encouraged disbelievers who were not only believers in astrology, in fact, took stars to be effective agents in the events of the world. But, this doubt can be answered by saying that the likelihood of a n encouragement was possible only when SayyidnE IbrZhim %2&\ would have not clearly

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warned them on their erroneous conduct later on. Here, this entire plan was being enacted for t h e sole purpose t h a t t h e i n v i t a t i o n to pure monotheism be communicated to them i n t h e most effective m a n n e r possible. Hence, it was after a short while that Sayyidna IbrZhim $&&I laid bare every possible error of their conduct before his people. Therefore, there is no question of providing encouragement to disbelievers simply on the basis of this ambiguous act. Here the purpose was to get rid of the compulsion of having to participate in the festival so that effort could be made to create a conducing atmosphere to present the call of true faith. This method of considered ambiguity for the purpose in sight is based on nothing but wisdom - and no reasonable objection can be raised against it. This explanation of casting a glance towards t h e s t a r s h a s been reported from most commentators. Maulan5 Ashraf 'Ali Thiinavi has also gone by this very TafsTr in Bayan-ul-Qur'an.

Astrology: Its status in Islam Another question which comes under this verse relates to the status astrology has in the SharT'ah of Islam. A brief answer to this question is being submitted here.
At least this much is a settled matter that Allah Ta'ZlZ has placed specific properties in the Moon, Sun and the stars that affect human lives. Some of these are such a s could be observed by everyone, for instance, the feeling of being hot or cold due to the Sun being near and far or the high and low tides of the seas due to the waxing and waning of the Moon and similar other phenomena. Now, some commentators just limit themselves to saying that the properties of these stars are no more than what we can gather from common observation - while there are others who say that there are some additional and particular properties in the position and movement of stars which affect most human matters. The moving of some s t a r in a particular constellation becomes for some h u m a n beings the cause of happiness and success while the cause of sorrow and failure for some others. Then there are some people who believe that stars are the sole effective agents in the case of all successes and failures. And there are still others who say that there is no effective agent but Allah Ta'ZlZ, however, He h a s endowed s t a r s with such properties, therefore, very much like other causes, they too serve a s yet another cause of human successes and failures.

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As for those who believe in stars being effective agents, and hold that events and revolutions of the world depend on stars alone, and they alone decide w h a t happens i n t h e world - their notion is wrong a n d false without any doubt. In fact, this belief takes one to the borderline of shirk (the ascribing of partners to the pristine divinity of Allah). This was the kind of belief the people of Arabia entertained i n t h e matter of rains. According to them, a particular star (called: $9 : naw') brought rains and it was a n effective agent as far as rains are concerned. The Holy Prophet @ h a s strongly refuted this belief t h e detailed description of which appears in ahadith. Now, there remains the thinking of people who, for all intents and purposes, do believe that Allah Ta'ZlZ is the ultimate effective agent in world events, yet they also subscribe to the view that the Almighty has endowed s t a r s with such properties which affect h u m a n lives in t h e degree of a general cause. For example, as far as rain is concerned, it is Allah alone who brings it, but clouds happen to be the obvious cause of rains. Similarly, the real fountainhead of all successes and failures is no other but the will of Allah Ta'ZlZ. But, these stars become the cause of those successes a n d failures. Hence, this thinking is no shirk - a n d neither do the Qur'iin and Hadith confirm or reject it. Therefore, it is not too far out to think that Allah Ta'iilZ might as well have embedded some such effects in the position, movement, rising and setting of stars. But, the acquiring of the knowledge of astrology in order to pursue and discover these effects, a n d t h e n placing reliance on this knowledge, and then issuing decrees for the future on that basis is, after all, prohibited and impermissible and ahadith forbid it. According to a narration of Sayyidnii 'AbdullZh Ibn Mas'Gd &,the Holy Prophet @ said:

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When destiny is mentioned - observe restraint; and when s t a r s a r e mentioned - observe restraint; a n d when my Companions are mentioned - observe restraint [that is, do not deliberate or debate or dwell on differences]. 'Iraqi on
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Acquire knowledge of stars to the extent you are guided right on land and at sea - then, stop. ('by??-ul-'Ulum -GhazzZll) This prohibition does not necessitate rejection of properties and effects of stars. But, any relentless digging into these properties and effects - and wasting precious time while hankering after these is w h a t h a s been prohibited. I m a m a l - G h a z a l i h a s , while discussing t h i s subject i n 1hyZ'-ul-'Ulum, identified s e v e r a l e l e m e n t s of wisdom b e h i n d t h i s prohibition. The first wise consideration under which astrology has been declared as blameworthy and prohibited lies in a person's accelerated devotion to it. Experience bears out that once this happens, he gradually starts taking stars as the be-all and end-all of everything, and this false perception then drags him on to the polytheistic belief of taking stars a s the real effective agents. Then there is yet another wise consideration behind it. Even if Allah Ta'alZ has placed some properties and effects in the stars, we have, on our part, no certain source of knowledge about these, except through wahy or revelation. I t appears i n ahadith about SayyidnZ Idris $$8\(Enoch) that Allah Ta'ZlZ h a d given him some knowledge of t h i s nature. B u t , t h a t knowledge based on Divine revelation (wahy) is no more t h e r e i n this world. Now, whatever the so-called experts of astrology have with them is merely a collection of inferences, conjectures and whims based on which no certain knowledge can be acquired. This is the reason why countless predictions of astrologers keep being proved false. Someone has made a lively comment on this field of knowledge by saying:
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The useful of it is unknown, and the known of it is useless! 'Allamah ' A l ~ s h a s , i n his Tafsir RRuh-ul-Ma'Zni, h a s cited several i examples from historical events where t h e way a n event should have transpired u n d e r t h e accepted rules of astrology came, i n reality, to transpire almost contrarily. Therefore, so many great people t h a t devoted their lives to astrology were finally compelled to confess that the ultimate end of this field of knowledge is no more than conjectures and estimations.

A famous astrologer, Koshyar Dailami has written in his book al-Mujmal fi-1-Ahkam:
"Astrology is a field of knowledge not supported by evidence, proof, or argument. I t h a s a lot of leeway for human scruples and conjectures."
(R@-ul-Mass, p. 116, v. 23)

'Allgmah 'Biisi has also reported similar sayings from several other scholars of astrology. Nevertheless, this much is settled that astrology is not a field of knowledge t h a t could offer a n y degree of certainty. Countless probabilities of errors lurk behind it. But, w h a t actually happens is that people who pursue this field of knowledge end up giving it status of a science that is absolute and certain. On this very basis they arrive a t their decrees for the future, a n d because of i t they go on to entertain good or bad opinions about others. Moreover, far serious is the false pride in this field that, on some occasions, pushes its votaries to start claiming that they have the knowledge of the unseen (al-ghayb). And it goes without saying that everything pointed to here generates all sorts of corruption. There is yet another reason for the prohibition of astrology in that it amounts to allowing dear life to be consumed in a pursuit that has no benefit in the real sense. When one cannot have something certain come out of it, how is it going to be helpful in doing so many things one has to do in this world? Now, running after something useless for no valid reason is totally against the spirit and temperament of the Shari'ah of Islam. Therefore, it has been prohibited.

How to explain the 'indisposition' of SayyidnZ IbrZhim %8 ?
The t h i r d problem t h a t emerges from t h i s verse r e l a t e s t o t h e statement of SayyidnZ IbrZhim -1. In response to the invitation of his (I feel indisposed). Now the question is: Was he people, he said: really sick a t that time? In the Qur'an, there is no clarification about it. But, from a Hadith of the SahTh of al-BukhZ6 it seems that he was not so sick a t t h a t time a s would make him unable to go with his people. Therefore, we have to determine as to how could he say that.

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The answer to that, according to the majority of commentators, is that SayyidnZ IbrZhim had really employed the mode of +,!JJ : tauriyah (equivocation). Tauriyah means: 'To say something t h a t is apparently

counter to the actual fact, but the speaker means a remote sense in it t h a t matches t h e actual fact.' Here, the apparent sense of t h e remark is that 'Right now, I am sick.' But, this is made by SayyidnZ IbrZhIm not what he really meant. Now, what did he really mean? About this, commentators have expressed different opinions. Some said t h a t it was prompted by h i s instinctive aversion a t t h e s i g h t of t h e polytheistic activities of his people. This view is supported by the fact t h a t the word ' used here is: && ('saqim : indisposed), a word that is much lighter than: &>(marid : sick). This sense could be conveyed in English by saying: I am indisposed (as in the translation of the text). I t is obvious that this sentence has ample room to incorporate the sense of instinctive aversion alluded to earlier. And some commentators h a v e s a i d t h a t by saying: k! ( i n n i saqim), SayyidnZ Ibrahim 1 intended to convey t h e sense of 'I am going to be sick' for the reason that, in the Arabic language, the form of active participle noun (ism-u-1-fa'il) is frequently used for t h e future tense. In the Qur'Zn itself, it was said while addressing the Holy Prophet , ,* z a, , pa!, i.-*.! (which can be literally translated i n terms of the ; outwardly apparent words by saying: 'You too are dead and they too are dead.' But, a s obvious, it means: "Certainly, you will die and they [too] will die - (Az-Zumar, 39:30). Similarly, SayyidnZ IbrZhIm had said: > ! G (inni saqim) only to convey the sense of 'I am going to be sick' and he said that because one has to fall sick some or the other time much before death comes. Even if someone does not suffer from a regular sickness, even t h e n , one i s t e m p e r a m e n t a l l y d i s t u r b e d before d e a t h t h a t is something inevitable.
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If someone is not satisfied with these interpretations, then the best was really somewhat e x p l a n a t i o n i s t h a t SayyidnZ IbrZhIm indisposed a t that time, but his indisposition was not such a s would have prevented him from participating in the festival Actually, h e talked about his casual indisposition in a particular setting where his listeners thought he was suffering from some major disease because of which he was really unable to go with them. This explanation of t h e equivocation used by SayyidnZ IbrZhim 1 is most reasonable and satisfactory. T h i s explication also m a k e s i t c l e a r t h a t t h e u s e of t h e word: t g ( k a d h i b a h : lie) for t h e statement: ' > (inni saqim) u t t e r e d by & !

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SayyidnZ Ibrahim, a s is reported in t h e Hadith of BukhZri, actually means " (9,s; : equivocation) which has the apparent form of a lie but it is no lie in terms of the sense intended by the speaker. I n some narrations of this very Hadith, the following words have also appeared:

Out of these, there is no lie that has not been spoken for the sake of defending and supporting the religion of Allah. These words are self-explanatory. They tell us t h a t the word 'kadhib' or lie i n t h e Hadith carries a sense t h a t is separate from i t s common meaning. A slightly detailed discussion regarding this very Hadith has already appeared i n t h e commentary on Siirah Al-AnbiyZ' under t h e '& & JG (He said Rather, this is done by this chief of theirs verse: 21:63). (Mazriful-Qur'Tin, volume VI)

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The Islamic legal ruling on (equivocation) Also from t h e s e very verses comes t h e r u l i n g t h a t r e s o r t i n g to tauriyah on occasions of need is permissible. One form of tauriyah is verbal, that is, saying something the apparent sense of which is counter to the actual fact, while the inward sense corresponds to it. Then there is the practical tauriyah, that is, to act in a manner that makes the onlooker interpret one's intention in a certain way while, in reality, one's intention is quite different. This is also known as: &! ('iham). When SayyidnZ IbrZhIm cast a glance towards the stars, it was 'iham. (as held by most commentators) a n d calling himself sick w a s t a u r i y a h or equivocation.

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On specific occasions of need, resorting to both these kinds of tauriyah in person. When he was on his stands proved from the Holy Prophet journey of hijrah, and the disbelievers were looking for him frantically, someone en route asked SayyidnZ AbG Bakr & about the Holy Prophet B.He answered by saying: >&$ 9 is my guide. He shows me the 5 (He way). From his answer, the listener gathered that he was referring to him a s some u s u a l pathfinder or guide (hired for t h i s purpose i n t r a v e l through unknown desert terrain). Therefore, he did not bother and went his way - although, SayyidnE AbG Bakr & had still not surrendered the truth of the matter that he was his religious and spiritual guide or leader. Similarly , says SayyidnZ Ka'b Ibn MElik &,'when the Holy Prophet

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$ ito go in a certain direction for Jihad, he would, while coming out had$ !
of M a d l n a h , r a t h e r t h a n go i n his intended direction, would s t a r t marching towards some other direction - so that onlookers do not find out t h e correct destination towards which h e was really headed (Sahih Muslim a n d others). This was practical t a u r i y a h (equivocation) a n d 'iham.

On occasions of good cheer a n d light humor too, tauriyah stands proved from t h e Holy P r o p h e t According to n a r r a t i o n from t h e Shama'il of Tirmidhi, t h e Holy Prophet $$$ humorously said to a n old woman, "No old woman will go to Paradise." That woman became very anxious. Then he explained that he meant that the old women will not go Paradise in the state of their old age - yes, they will go there after having turned young.

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Verses 99 - 113

And he said, "I am going to my Lord. He will show me the way. [99] 0 my Lord, bless me with a righteous son."

Siirah Ag-Saffiit : 37 : 99 - 113
[loo] So, We gave him the good news of a forbearing boy. [I011 Thereafter, when he reached a n age in which he could work with him, he said, " 0 my little son, I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so consider, what do you think? " He said, " 0 my d e a r father, do what you have been ordered to do. You will find me, inshalAllah, (if Allah wills) one of those who endure patiently." [I021 So, (it was a great episode) when both of them submitted themselves (to Allah's will), and he laid him on his forehead [103] and then We called out to him, " 0 IbrZh'im, you did make the dream come true!' This is how We reward those who a r e good i n deeds. [I041 This was indeed a trial that clearly demonstrated (their obedience). [I061 And We ransomed him with a g r e a t sacrifice. [I071 a n d We left for him (a word of praise ) among the later people, [lo81 (that is,)" Salam be on Ibrahim! [log] This is how We reward those who a r e good i n deeds. [I101 S u r e l y , h e i s a m o n g O u r believing servants. [ I l l ] And We gave him the good news of IshZq, a prophet from among the righteous. [I121 And We did bless him, and IshZq - and among the progeny of both of t h e m , some a r e good a n d some a r e u t t e r l y unjust to their own selves. [I131

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Commentary The sacrifice of a s o n

Another event in the blessed life of Sayyidna IbrZhTm 1has been described in the verses cited above. This is the event of the sacrifice of his first-born son in the way of Allah.
Explanatory Notes o n t h e verses

The first verse (99) opens with the words: ;.; . . J ! J i j (And he said this a t a time said, "I a m going to my Lord.. .). SayyidnZ IbrZhim when he was totally disappointed by his countrymen, for nobody except SayyidnZ Liit a \ , his nephew, was willing to believe i n him. The statement: (I am going to my Lord) means that he will leave the abode of disbelief and go to a place whereto Allah Ta'ZlZ has commanded him to go, a place where he will be able to worship his Lord in peace. So, he started on a journey accompanied by his blessed wife, Sayyidah Sarah L p hi and his nephew, SayyidnZ LGt. After having passed through different areas of Iraq, he finally reached Syria. SayyidnZ IbrZhim&$$ I had no children until then, therefore, he made the prayer mentioned in the next verse (100).
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He said: WI 2 2 $ (0 my Lord, bless me with a righteous ; son."- 100). His prayer was answered and Allah Ta'ZlZ gave him the good news of the birth of a son. Thus, by saying 'forbearing' in: & i s (So, We gave him the good news of a forbearing boy- IOI), it was indicated that this newborn would demonstrate such patience, control and forbearance in his life as would be exemplary in the world. The birth of this son had a background of its own. When Sayyidah Sarah 2, realized that she is not being blessed with children, she took herself to be barren. On the other hand, the Pharaoh had given his daughter named Hajirah a s gift to Sayyidah Sarah, so that she could help her in household chores. Sayyidah Sarah who married passed on this very Hajirah as gift to Sayyidnz IbrZhim her. Then the son mentioned here was born to this Hajirah and he was named Isma'il @I.
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(Thereafter, when he reached an age in which he could work with him, he said, "0 my little son, I have seen in a dream that I a m slaughtering you, so consider, what do you think?"). From some narrations, it appears for t h r e e t h a t t h i s d r e a m w a s s h o w n t o SayyidnZ IbrZhTm consecutive days (Qurtubi). Then, it already stands settled t h a t the dream of blessed prophets is a revelation (wahy). Therefore, this dream meant t h a t Allah Ta'ZlZ was asking Sayyidna IbrZhim to slaughter his firstborn son. For t h a t matter, this command could have been revealed directly through a n angel. But, t h e wisdom behind communicating it through a dream was to unravel the obedience of SayyidnE Ibrahim @I a t its most sublime form. A command given through a dream could have a lot of room for interpretations and excuses by the human self. But, this was Sayyidna Ibrahim %&! He did not take to the way of excuses. On . t h e c o n t r a r y , h e simply bowed down ( s a n s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s , s a n s hesitations) before the command of his Lord. (Tafsir Kabir)

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I n addition to that, the purpose of the great Creator here was neither be slaughtered actually, nor was it to make to have Sayyidna Isma'il t h a t h e s l a u g h t e r s him i t b i n d i n g u p o n S a y y i d n a Ibriihim ultimately, instead, the purpose was to give the command t h a t h e should, on his part, do everything necessary to slaughter him and take all steps leading to his slaughter. Now, h a d t h i s command been given to him

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verbally, it would disclose that the actual slaughter is not intended, and the element of test would have remained missing. Therefore, he was shown in a dream that he was slaughtering his son. From this Sayyidna IbrZhim understood t h a t what h e was been commanded with i s slaughter - and he was all set for it literally and comprehensively. Thus, the element of trial went the full circle, and the dream also came true. So, a s said earlier, if this thing were to come through a verbal command, either there would have been no test, or the command would have to be abrogated afterwards. How hard this test was! I t is to allude to this aspect that Allah Ta'iilZ h a s placed a d d i t i o n a l words i n t h e s t a t e m e n t here: $ (Thereafter, when he reached a n age in which he could work with him, 102).In other words, it could be said that he was commanded to sacrifice his son he had so wistfully prayed for a t a time when this son was old enough to walk by the side of his father, and the days when he could become the right arm of his father were not far. Commentators say that the age of SayyidnE Isma'a was thirteen years a t that time. Some others say that he had crossed the age of puberty. (Tafsh Mazhari)

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In the next sentence of verse 102, it was said: c5> 1jL.b.L (SOconsider, what do you think?) When SayyidnZ Ibriihim posed this question before Sayyidnii Isma'il he really had no hesitation about carrying out the Divine command. In fact, he wanted to accomplish two things by doing so. Firstly, he wanted to test his son as to the extent to which he was ready to face this trial. Secondly, the noble prophets eMJl+ always ,& h a v e a way of t h e i r own - t h e y a r e prepared t o c a r r y o u t Divine commands a t all times. But, they always opt for methods that are suitable in such obedience, methods t h a t a r e based on wisdom a n d all possible convenience. Had Sayyidnii Ibriihim %&I started laying down his son in readiness for slaughter without having said any thing to him or having heard any thing from him in advance, it would have caused difficulties for both of them. Now, this thing that he said to him was in the spirit and manner of a tender consultation with his son. What he intended thereby was to let his son become aware of the command of Allah in advance, so that he is all prepared to endure the pain of being slaughtered well before the zero hour comes. Moreover, even if there emerged some hesitation in thr heart of his son, there will still be the time to make him understand

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the situation. ( R 3 - u l - Ma5ni and Bayan-ul-Qur5n) But, that son was no less than the son of the Friend of Allah, and the one who himself was bound to rise to the office and station of a prophet. In his answer, he said: > ; i + '4 (0 my dear father, do what you have ? been ordered to do - 102). Not only t h a t t h i s s t a t e m e n t provides a n evidence of the unique passion of Sayyidna Isma'il @I to surrender his life in t h e way of Allah, i t also shows t h e kind of intelligence a n d knowledge Allah Ta'ZlZ had blessed him with a t such a tender age. I t had not referred to should be borne in mind that SayyidnE 1brZh;m any command from Allah before him, i n fact, h a d mentioned a dream got the point. He understood that the only. But, Sayyidnii Isma'il dream of a prophet is a revelation (wahy) - and this dream too was, in reality, a form of Divine command as such. Hence, in his response, rather than mention the dream, he referred to the Divine order.

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T h e p r o o f o f ' r e v e l a t i o n n o t r e c i t e d ' (;Is> 5, : w a h y g h a y r matluww) Right from h e r e comes a clear refutation of those who deny t h e authority of Hadith and who do not accept the existence of any revelation that is not recited. They say that wahy or revelation is only t h a t which has been revealed in the Scripture, the Book of Allah - other than that, no other form or kind of revelation exists. You have already noticed that the command to sacrifice his son was given to Sayyidnii Ibriihim ?#$@I through a dream, and Sayyidna 1sma';l ' \ l declared it to be the command of had Allah in very clear words. Now, if 'the revelation not recited' (wahy ghayr matluww) is nothing, then where did this command come from and in which Scriptures was it revealed? After that, Sayyidna Isma'a $581 also gave a n assurance to his great ! * (You will find , , j ;G A j father from his own side by saying: &-h me, insha'Allah, [if Allah wills] one of those who endure patiently."- 102). J u s t look a t t h e e x t r e m e e t i q u e t t e a n d modesty d e m o n s t r a t e d by SayyidnZ Isma'Tl $@dl in this brief statement of his. First of all, by saying "insha'Allah" (if Allah wills), he entrusted the matter with Allah Ta'ElZ, and thus he eliminated any flair of having made a boastful claim through this promise. Then, he could have also said: 'You will, inshaJAllah, find me enduring.' But, he did not say that. What he actually said was: "You will find me one of those who endure patiently."). Thereby he released the

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hint that all this endurance and patience is no feat of his all alone, rather, there have been many more of those who have been enduring a n d patient - insha'Allah, he too will hope to become one of them. Thus, through this statement, h e eliminated the possibility of any traces of pride, arrogance, egotism and conceit, rather replaced it with the finest in manners and modesty. (R%-ul-Ma'5n:) From here we learn the lesson that no matter how much confidence one has in one's own self, h e should never make tall claims that smack of pride and bragging. If there is a compulsive need to have to say something of this nature, due attention should be paid to the choice of words that are being said. The best course is to shift the focus from one's own person and say what shows trust in Allah. In manners and attitudes too, one should try not to cut loose from the norms of modesty to the best of one's ability.
klj The word: (aslama: both of them submitted) in verse 103: means to submit, bow down, become obedient, rendered ready to carry out the command. Hence, it releases the sense of having bowed down before the Divine command, t h a t is, i n plain words, t h e father resolved to slaughter the son and the son, to be slaughtered by him. At this place, the word used is: dj (lamma: when), but its apodosis or the complement of the condition has not been mentioned - in other words, it has not been said later on as to what happened when this thing came to pass. This releases a hint towards the uniqueness of this bold initiative of self-submission undertaken by t h e father a n d son - so unique t h a t words just fail to convey a fuller description.

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Some historical and exegetical reports tell us that the Shaitan tried to seduce SayyidnZ IbrZhTm @\away from it three times and every time SayyidnZ Ibriihim pelted seven pebbles on him, a n d drove him away. Right through up to this day, on the three pillars of MinZ, pebbles are thrown to commemorate this very endearing act. Finally, when both father and son reached the place of slaughter to offer this unique act of worship, Sayyidna Isma'il{\ said to his father, "My dear father, tie me down well enough so that my body may not toss and turn too much; and also keep your dress protected, lest the drops of my blood spoil it which might reduce my reward with Allah, and moreover, if my mother were to see this blood, she will be virtually smitten with sorrow. And sharpen your knife, and run it fast over my throat, so that my last breath comes easy on

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me, for d e a t h is h a r d ; a n d when you r e t u r n to my m o t h e r , pay my respects to h e r a n d should you wish to t a k e my s h i r t to h e r , you a r e welcome to do so, may be i t would give h e r t h e comfort s h e needs." Hearing these words coming from the lips of the only son a father has, who can imagine what would have been going on in his heart. But, here was SayyidnZ IbrZhim =I. Like a mountain of fortitude, he says to his son, "Son, what a good helper you are for me in this task assigned by Allah." Saying this, he kissed his son and, with wet eyes, h e tied him.
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And then came the stage about which the text says: , , '2;(and he laid him on his forehead - 103). According to a n explanation of t h i s statement as reported from Sayyidnii Ibn 'AbbZs &, 'he laid him down on his side in a manner t h a t one edge of t h e forehead was touching t h e ground' (Mazhari). Lexically, this explanation is weightier for the reason (jabin) is applied to the two curvatures of the forehead that the word: (jabhah). Therefore, while the middle part of the forehead is called: MoulZnZ Thiinavi has translated it carrying the sense of 'laying down on the side.' But, other respected commentators have explained it a s 'laid him down on the ground face down.' Whatever be the case, the reason given in historical accounts for this manner of laying him down is that, initially, had laid him down face up. But, once he started SayyidnZ IbrZhIm moving the knife on his throat, it would not cut despite repeated efforts, because a copper plate had come as a barrier in between by the will of Allah. At that time, the son himself requested his father t h a t he be laid down on the side face down for the reason that once he looked a t him, his filial compassion unnerved his hand, and the throat is not cut a s required. In addition to that, he said, when he looked a t the knife, he too started started using his knife in the feeling nervous. So SayyidnZ IbrZhim 1 manner he was told (TafsIr Mazhad). Allah knows best.

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In verse 104, 105, it was said: L: ;$I & A ; Si (and then We called out to him, "0 IbrZhim, you did make the dream come true."), that is, i n accomplishing t h e t a s k entrusted with him i n obedience to t h e command of Allah, he left nothing undone, in fact, did i t perfectly to the l e t t e r (more likely so because i n t h e d r e a m too, i t w a s s h o w n t h a t is simply moving his knife to slaughter his son). SayyidnZ Ibriihim Now that test was over, so he should let him go.
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By saying: i ~ + d,L? \;5! (This is how We reward those who are good in deeds - IIO), the sense is, 'when a servant of Allah bows down before t h e command of Allah dnd i s ready to sacrifice all personal thoughts and feelings, then, ultimately, We take care of him, so that he remains safe from whatever could have afflicted him here in this world, and as for the recompense and reward of the Hereafter, that We write down in his book of deeds.' In verse 107, it was said: &+ GA;(And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice.). In Hadith reports, it is said that on hearing this voice looked up and saw SayyidnE from the heavens, Sayyidna IbrEhim Jibra'il with a ram. From some reports, it appears that it was the same ram that was offered as sacrifice by HZbil (Abel), the son of SayyidnZ 'Adam Allah knows best. In short, a present of this ram of Paradise was made to SayyidnZ IbrEhTm and he sacrificed it in lieu of his son as commanded by Allah. This sacrificial animal was called: &J+ ('azim: great) because it had come by way of mercy from Allah, and no one can entertain any doubt about the acceptance of its sacrifice. (Tafsir Mazhari,

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Which son was to be slaughtered? Was it Sayyidna Isma'zl % & I ? Or, was it SayyidnZ IshZq?
The TafsTr of t h e verses cited above h a s been described on t h e assumption that the son who was to be slaughtered was SayyidnZ Isma'll @I. But, the truth of the matter is that there is a severe difference of opinion among commentators and historians about it. That this son was SayyidnE IshZq 8581 h a s been reported from among t h e SahZbah by SayyidnE 'Umar, SayyidnZ 'Ali, SayyidnZ 'AbdullZh I b n Mas'Gd, Sayyidnii 'AbbEs, SayyidnE 'AbdullZh Ibn 'AbbZs a n d SayyidnE Ka'b al-AhbZr &, and from among the Tabi'in by Sa'ld Ibn Jubayr, QatEdah, Masriq, 'Ikrimah, 'Ata', MuqZtil, Zuhri and Suddiyy ;jk dl F, Counter t o this i s t h e n a r r a t i o n s from Sayyidna 'Ali, SayyidnZ I b n 'AbbZs, SayyidnE 'AbdullEh Ibn 'Umar, SayyidnE Abii Hurairah and SayyidnZ AbG-t-Tufayl from among the SahEbah, and Sa'id Ibn Musaiyyab, Sa'ld Ibn Jubayr, Hasan al-Bass, MujZhid, 'Umar Ibn 'Abd-ul-'Azlz, Sha'bi, Muhammad Ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi from among the Tabi'Tn from whom it has been reported that that this son was SayyidnZ Isma'il &%I. I t is to be noted that the names of SayyidnZ 'Ali, Ibn 'AbbZs and Sa;id ibn Jubayr

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appear in both groups. This is because reports of both views are attributed to them. (Usman;) O u t of t h e l a t t e r commentators, Hiifiz I b n J a r i r at-TabarT h a s preferred the first view, while Hiifi? Ibn Kathir and others have not only gone by the second view, but have also refuted the first one. Here, it is not possible to present a critique of arguments advanced by t h e two groups. Nevertheless, in terms of the descriptive arrangement of the noble Qur'iin and the strength of Hadith narrations, the weightier view seems who was commanded to be to be that the son of Sayyidnii Ibrahim slaughtered was but Sayyidnii Isma'il @I. Relevant proof appears below:

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1. After having reported the whole event relating to the sacrifice, the ,, a ' , , *,, L &b ; h;,.kj (And We gave him noble Qur'iin says in verse 112: &I the good news of Ishiiq, a prophet from among the righteous). This clearly tells us that the son who was to be sacrificed under Divine command was someone else - other than Sayyidnii IshZq - and the glad tidings of the was given after the event of the sacrifice. birth of Sayyidnii IshZq

2. Mentioned in this very glad tidings relating to Sayyidnii IshZq 1 is that he will be a prophet. In addition to this, it has been said in another verse that along with the glad tidings of the birth of Sayyidnii Ishaq it was also said that, later on, Sayyidnii Ishiiq will have a son - SayyidnZ ,, , , -,, , , Ya'qEb MI: ;~i! ti,; i~.); L l k L. i $ (SO,We gave her the good news about IshZq, and about Ya'qEb after IshZq - Hud, 11:71). I t clearly shows that he will live a long life to the extent that he will be blessed with a n offspring. How could he, then, be commanded to slaughter that very offspring - before becoming a prophet - which would have given SayyidnZ Ibriihirn the understanding that he has to become a prophet and the birth of Sayyidnii Ya'qTib is due to come from his loins, therefore, the act of slaughtering cannot bring death to him. I t is obvious that, in this s i t u a t i o n , n e i t h e r would t h i s h a v e been some major t r i a l , nor h a d SayyidnZ Ibrahim been deserving of any praise on its implementation. This element of trial is possible only in a situation that SayyidnZ Ibrahim ?%&Ifully r e a l i z e s t h a t h i s son will die a s a r e s u l t of t h i s a c t of slaughtering, and only then he takes the initiative of slaughtering him. This whole thing perfectly falls into place in the case of SayyidnZ Isma'il ?%&I, because Allah Ta'Zlii had made no prediction about his remaining alive and becoming a prophet.

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3. From the statement of the Qur'Zn it seems that the son who was to be slaughtered under Divine command was the first son of Sayyidna IbrZhTm @I. Therefore, while migrating from his homeland, h e h a d prayed for a son. In answer to this prayer, he was given the good news that he will have a son who will be forbearing. Then, about this very boy it was said that, by the time he grew old enough to work with his father, came the Divine order that he be slaughtered. This whole chain of events is telling us that this boy was the first son of SayyidnZ Ibrahim.I@( Now, it was Isma'3 who was the first son of SayyidnZ Ibrahlm @I, while SayyidnZ IshZq 858 was his second son. After t h a t , no doubt remains about the fact that the son who was to be slaughtered under Divine order was but SayyidnZ Isma'il =I.

4. Then, it is also nearly settled that this event of the sacrifice of a son has come to pass within the environs of Makkah al-Mukarramah. I t is for t h i s r e a s o n t h a t t h e custom of sacrifice during t h e period of Hajj pilgrimage prevailed among the people of Arabia. In addition to that, the horns of the ram sent from Paradise as ransom for the son of SayyidnZ IbrZhlm have remained hanging in the Holy Ka'bah for years. Hiifiz Ibn Kathir has reported several narrations in support, and has gone on to even quote 'Amir Sha'bi as saying: 'I have personally seen the horns of this ram in the Ka'bah' (Ibn Kathir, p. 18, v. 4). And Sufyan says: 'The horns of this r a m remained hanging in the Ka'bah continuously until when (during the time of HajjZj Ibn f i s u f ) there was a fire in Ka'bah during which these horns were also burnt to ashes' (Ibn Kathir. p. 17, v. 2). Now it becomes fairly obvious that SayyidnZ Isma'Tl was the one living in Makkah a l - M u k a r r a m a h - not Sayyidnii IshZq @\. Therefore, i t is equally obvious that the command to slaughter related but to SayyidnZ Isma'a - and not to SayyidnZ IshZq
As for t h e n a r r a t i o n s i n which i t h a s been s a i d t h a t different a s the dhabih Sahaabah and tabi'in have declared SayyidnZ Ishiiq (the one to be slaughtered), Ibn KathTr has said:
'Allah knows best, b u t evidently all these sayings have come from Ka'b a l - A h b a r . W h e n h e embraced Islam d u r i n g t h e period of SayyidnZ 'Umar 4 ,h e s t a r t e d telling him reports from his old (Jewish) books. On occasions, SayyidnZ 'Umar listened to what h e h a d to say. This provided room for others too. They too h e a r d h i s

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narrations and started passing them on. These narrations were a bunch of absurdities. This ummah do